If you talk with anyone who has played or coached football or baseball at the youth or high school levels in Wayne County in the last few decades, chances are they’ve crossed paths with Danny Merritt.
His birth name was Daniel Lafayette Merritt, but almost everyone who knew him referred to him simply as “Coach.”
Merritt passed away on Mar. 6 at Kitty Askins Hospice Center. He was 69.
A service to celebrate Merritt’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the chapel of Seymour Funeral Home.
Merritt, a lifelong resident of Wayne County, served as Athletic Director for the Wayne County Boys and Girls Club from 1976 to 1979, where he coached Little League and a Babe Ruth baseball team.
Merritt also spent decades pouring into athletes at multiple high schools in Wayne County.
He served as an assistant football coach at Goldsboro High School, Eastern Wayne, Rosewood, and Southern Wayne.
He also led baseball teams at Goldsboro High School and Dillard Middle School and was an assistant softball coach at Southern Wayne.
Merritt’s final high school football season came in 2024 as an assistant coach at Southern Wayne.
Saints head coach Matt Hine saw Merritt’s impact on his players first-hand, and Hine is confident that impact will live on for quite some time.
“Coach Merritt embodies what it means to be a team player,” Hine said. “He demonstrated to our school how to live with strong morals and character. He embraced our student-athletes and mentored them about athletics and life in general. Our students knew him as a man they could count on to help them in times of need and cheer for them no matter the situation. I know they will take the example he set with them throughout their lives. He provided me with mentorship on how to lead athletes and adults. I will always take with me his positive approach to young people and his wisdom about facing adversity.”
Merritt’s influence was also felt deeply during his tenure as an assistant football coach at Rosewood.
His willingness to pour into the Eagles’ student-athletes and defer to the head coaches he served under are part of his lasting legacy.
“Words can’t describe fully the passion and love that Danny possessed when it came to coaching and teaching his players,” Rosewood head football coach Josh Smith said. “Danny was full of love and always saw the good in every player. After every practice and/or game, he would always end his team meetings with “I love you guys”. What made Danny even more special is that he always wanted to do what was best for the program. He would adapt his coaching style or plays to fit whatever program he was helping out. If Danny wanted to install any of his personal plays or strategies, he would always ask to make sure the head coach was good with what he was trying to install. When it comes to family, Danny Merritt was the true definition. Family was at the top of his list and no matter who he was coaching, they became a part of not only the team’s family but also his personal family.”
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be given in Merritt’s memory to the Boys and Girls Club, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation, or Goldsboro High School Athletic Department for a scholarship in his name.
