Memorial service celebrates the life of Mel Daniels

Family, friends and former teammates of her husband surrounded Cecilia Daniels. They gathered inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday to hug her, thank her and share memories of the man she loved, Mel Daniels.

The memorial service for the late Daniels, the Hall of Fame center who led the Indiana Pacers to three American Basketball Association championships, did not start until his widow arrived at her front row seat on the court. For the next hour, Cecilia looked at photos of her husband, watched highlights and listened to eight people express how he touched their lives before dying last week at the age of 71.

Reggie Miller, a Hall of Famer, kissed Mel Daniels’ retired No. 34 jersey banner before sharing his stories. Bob Netolicky, Daniels’ best friend and former teammate, held back tears when he spoke. Legendary coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard explained why he gave Daniels his famous nickname, Slim.

The biggest ovation came when Cecilia walked onto the stage. She spoke for eight minutes, telling the story she said her husband would want her to share: a tribute to Will Robinson, his first basketball coach.

Cecilia, who gave a memento to each of the 45 honorary pall bearers, read the words that Daniels had written in a letter about Robinson, who introduced him to the sport when he was a junior at Pershing High in Detroit. In that letter, Daniels wrote about how Robinson was the man who taught him, molded him and was most responsible for his Hall of Fame career. How Robinson gave Daniels’ his first pair of gym shoes — which at the time were two sizes too big — and how he would grow into them and improve in them.

Cecilia told the crowd in the arena that before she met her husband, he was inadvertently learning more from Robinson than just how to be a champion on the court.

“As his wife, when I think about that, the best that I could tell was coach Robinson was holding everyone accountable,” she said after reading the letter. “He was intolerant to thievery, but he had the warmest heart for reformed knuckleheads. He demanded honesty and pulled the kids off of the wrong roads.”

Pacers Hall of Famer Mel Daniels dies at 71

All of the speakers at the service wore a blue, yellow and white No. 34 pin that will be a patch on the Pacers’ uniforms for the rest of the season. They also spoke of the traits that made Daniels a lovable man: his passion, his companionship, his loyalty.

Many people shed tears when they entered the arena, tilted their heads and saw Daniels’ face on the large screen above the court. They used their smartphones to take one last photo of Daniels. Videos were played to show Daniels’ humor, his furiousness on the court and his passion for being a cowboy who loved his horses.

To the left of the stage was Daniels' favorite truck, a bright red Dodge Ram 3500 that the Pacers gave him after he was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2012. The truck, in which he was found dead, was surrounded by flowers from loved ones. Another photo of Daniels was placed in his usual seat during Pacers games, in Suite 29.

Miller began the service by sharing how Daniels was his mentor. Cindy Simon-Skjodt, the daughter of former Pacers owner Melvin Simon, explained how everyone wanted Daniels to hug them. Netolicky, having rehearsed his speech, decided he was too emotional to just read off of a piece of paper.

“Without Mel, you would not be sitting in this arena,” Netolicky said as tears welled up in his eyes. “There would be no Pacers, no Colts, no Downtown Indy as you know it. I was very blessed to have him as my teammate, my friend and my brother.”

Pacers stand on Mel Daniels' shoulders

Former Pacer Darnell Hillman said Daniels lived basketball while others just played the game. Leonard, the last to speak before Cecilia, looked up to the heavens and had a message for Daniels about his widow.

“God bless him up in heaven,” Leonard said. “Slim, don’t worry about CeCe.”

Mel Daniels and Bob Netolicky: Best friends to the end

Cecilia lingered on the court, extending her arms to receive hug after hug.

Call Star reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.