BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Dave Feldman’s advice to kids and others always was, “Be awesome.”

He practiced what he preached.

Feldman lived an awesome life of teaching, coaching, mentoring and devotion to the students under his watch in the Catholic League for nearly four decades.

His watch came to an end Thursday, Jan. 14, when he lost a six-week battle, including the final two weeks on a ventilator, from the effects of COVID-19. He was 65.

Since 2004, he was the athletic director at Marian High School. “His death has shocked our community,” a statement from the school said. “We grieve together in remembrance of his vitality to Marian’s spirit and mission.”

“He loved his job,” said his cousin, Vic Michaels, director of the Catholic High School League, “but he loved the kids more. He was very well respected not only in the CHSL, but statewide.”

Mary Cicerone, who is starting her 35th season coaching basketball at Marian, said, “He just wanted to make the athletic program good for the kids. He was super organized and passionate about the kids and their sports.”

Feldman died on the eve of Marian’s Division 1 volleyball semi-final, which they won and then swept Lowell the next afternoon for the state championship.

“We feel so grateful that we can win it for him, and we know he’s definitely smiling and jumping around up in heaven, cheering us on,” junior Ava Brizard said. 

Warren Regina athletic director Diane Laffey recalled Feldman’s competitiveness. “When you walked into his building for a game, he was as friendly as you want anyone to be, greeted everybody and made sure you were comfortable.”

He was respected as a guy who could never say “no” to helping a kid when it involved sports or giving a young coach an opportunity to enhance their professional coaching career.

Feldman was born May 13, 1955, in Detroit. He was raised on the northwest side, where he attended St. Gerard grade school and graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1973 and the University of Notre Dame in 1977, where he was a member of the basketball team.

For more than 10 years, Feldman owned and operated a convenience and party store near the Pontiac Silverdome and later became the partner of a restaurant in St. Clair Shores.

“I went into business for myself and wasn’t happy,” he recalled on the occasion of his induction into the Catholic League Hall of Fame in 2004, “so I got my teaching degree” in 1992 from the University of Detroit Mercy.

He began his return to his love of sports and mentoring youths at St. Alphonsus in Dearborn, and later at St. Agatha in Redford, where he coached and became the athletic director, then on to St. Clement in Center Line (1999-2004) as coach, assistant principal and athletic director, and since then as the athletic director for Marian.

In 11 seasons, Feldman led his basketball squads at St. Clement to a 207-92 record that included four CHSL C-D championships: two with the girls in 2001 and 2002 and two with the boys in 2001and 2003.

Feldman always maintained that his proudest moment was the 71-54 victory over St. Alphonsus at Calihan Hall for the 2001 boys championship. It was the school’s first basketball title since it opened in 1926.

“We were young, and we didn’t belong there,” he said at the time. “But we played hard.”

In a combined 22-season career at St. Clement — seven years in boys basketball, eight years in girls basketball and seven years in softball — his teams amassed 340 victories and a .725 winning percentage.

During his tenure as athletic director at Marian, the Mustangs won 24 state championships in seven sports and 61 Catholic League championships in nine sports.

He was named CHSL coach of the year four times and the Michigan Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year twice.

Feldman was the beloved husband of Jackie (nee: Wouters) Feldman and the cherished father of Davis Feldman, Nathan Feldman and Jacqui Rose Feldman. 

He will lie in state Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Our Lady Queen of Families Parish’s St. Clement campus in Center Line until the time of the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Fr. Ron Victor will celebrate the liturgy.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, if you are unable to attend the funeral Mass, a livestream of the service can be found on the Catholic High School League website.

In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to Feldman's children’s college education fund. 

Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].