
Born January 25, 1921 in Athens, GA, he attended Barrow School and Athens High School, graduating from the University of Georgia in 1941. Dan was a captain in the United States Marine Corp and served in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, he worked as editor of high school sports for the Atlanta Journal. He was, for many years, the Sports Information Director for the UGA Athletic Department. He founded the Georgia Bulldog Clubs throughout Georgia. From 1955 to 1988 he was Georgia’s head tennis couch, and his teams won 13 SEC Championships and two National Championships (1985 and 1987). The tennis complex at UGA is named for him, as is the press box at Sanford Stadium. He founded and was the curator of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame in Athens.
He was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the UGA athletic department’s Circle of Honor, and was also a member of the Georgia, Southern, and intercollegiate Tennis Halls of Fame.
Mr. Magill is preceded in death by his father, Daniel Hamilton Magill; mother, Elizabeth Carroll Magill Gerdine; his sister, Carroll Magill Wellman; his nephew, Thomas Magill Wellman, and cousin, Col. Merritt Pound.
Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Rosemary Reynaud Magill; son, Daniel Hamilton Magill III (Brenda); daughters, Sharon Magill Brown (Bill) and Mollie Magill Sloan (Steve); grandchildren, Carroll Magill Wu (Cameron), Cathleen Magill Obray (Rick), William Bates Brown (Evie), Casey Magill Brown (Jessica), and Spencer Magill Sloan (Millie); nine great-grandchildren, as well as nephews and nieces, Walter Wellman, Betsy Wellman Calhoun, and Carroll “Oby” Dupree.
Dan loved, most of all, his family, but a close second was Georgia – the state, the University, and all UGA sports teams. He truly felt, as he often said when addressing a Georgia Bulldog club crowd, that Georgia alumni and fans were “the chosen people of the Western world!” From Rabun Gap to Tybee Light, flags will surely fly at half-mast in honor of the grandest Bulldog of them all.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Memory Unit of Highland Hills, as well as Southern Companions, for their help in caring for Dan.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations: UGA Tennis program, the ITA Hall of Fame, or the Dan Magill Sports Journalism Chair at the UGA School of Journalism all in care of the University of Georgia Foundation, 394 South Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30602.
There will be a private burial at Oconee Hills Cemetery on Thursday, August 28th. Friends are invited to a celebration of his life at the Athens Country Club on August 28th at 12 Noon.
Online and audio condolences may be offered at www.bernsteinfuneralhome.com
Bernstein Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge of arrangements.
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