An influential figure on New York State's physical education scene, Sara J. Daggett '78 has made an international mark as head coach of the USA Floor Hockey Team at the 1993 World International Special Olympic Games in Austria. For the past two years, Daggett, an adaptive physical education instructor at Liverpool (N.Y.) Central School District since 1982, has been serving on the New York State Commissioner's Compact for Learning. This six-person team has been charged with writing learning outcomes and guidelines for statewide physical education in New York. In 1992, Daggett was named "Adaptive Teacher of the Year" by the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAHPERD).
Daggett began working with the Onondaga County Special Olympics in 1982 and the New York State Olympics in 1986. In 1989, her USA Field Hockey Team won the gold medal at the International Special Olympics Games in Reno, Nev.
The 1993 recipient of a YMCA Community Fitness Leadership Award, Daggett continues to make positive impacts as a civic leader in the Liverpool community. In 1983 she founded the semi-annual "Love Games," a sporting event open to all adaptive physical education students in three neighboring districts. Since 1986, she has co-directed the "Very Special Golf Tournament," a corporate-sponsored event that has netted $300,000 since its inception for Onondaga County Special Olympics. Since 1989, Daggett has been coordinating Liverpool student-athletes who make monthly volunteer visits to local elementary schools speaking against drug use. She also coordinates the "Octagon Club," comprised of Liverpool High volunteers working on community projects throughout the year.
Daggett, a past president of the Liverpool Optimist Club, serves on the Board of Directors for Liverpool MARCH (Movement to Actively Recognize Community Health). In 1990, she worked on a State Education Department project that studied health and wellness program training and curriculum implementation.
A native of Cazenovia, N.Y., Daggett graduated with honors from the Cortland Physical Education Program in 1978. She competed on the Red Dragon golf teams for three seasons, spending her junior year at the German National Sports Academy in Cologne through the Cortland Study Abroad Program. Daggett earned a master's degree in physical education from Syracuse University in 1982.
The Liverpool High field hockey coach since 1980, Daggett also coached the women's golf team for six seasons. She has served as an Empire State Games Central Region administrator for 13 years and serves on the NYSAHPERD Board of Directors.
