Folks that remember “Dangerous Dan” when he played at tiny Morehead State College (as it was known then) and for what he accomplished following his days at MSU, they know his greatness. For those football fans that still remember that final game of the 1990 season when Chris quarterbacked the Eagles past arch-rival and No. 1-ranked Eastern Kentucky, they know they watched a special athlete accomplish great things. They also know the Swartz’s were much more than just tremendous athletes.
Dan, who played his freshman year at the University of Kentucky, played at MSU from 1953-56 and left with 1,925 points. He still holds season records for most points, scoring average, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted. He still claims the career scoring average record and career marks for free throws made and attempted. Chris’ school standards also include the single-game passing yards and attempts marks and single-game touchdown record.
Dan was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1985, and Chris was enshrined in 2002. Chris recalls his dad’s induction, never believing he would one day be listed alongside him and the many other greats he read about and idolized growing up just 20 minutes away in Owingsville, Ky.
“I remember dad being inducted in the first class and seeing all those plaques inside the arena as more and more people were enshrined,” he said. “But I never believed I could actually be listed alongside greats such as Steve Hamilton, Sonny Allen and my dad.”
Dan’s natural ability was something that was valuable to his success, the younger Swartz noted.
"I think my dad was just naturally talented,” said Chris, who also played basketball and baseball briefly at MSU. “I think he had one of the hardest work ethics, too. I‘ve heard guys who he played high school, college and pro ball with say he was the first in the gym and the last out. To be quite honest, I never considered myself to be a great athlete. But, dad always told me to just be smarter than everyone else. You don’t have to be necessarily be better than everyone, you just have to work harder and be smarter than everyone else. That’s something he instilled in me since I came out of crib.”
Chris pointed out that his dad played at a time when there weren’t too many others around him playing basketball.
“Dad grew up a farm boy in Bath County, and there just weren’t a lot of others playing basketball,” he said. “So he was just driven too, and I think he just used his natural talent to the best of his ability and took it to the highest level he could, which included winning an NBA Championship.”
Current MSU Head Men’s Golf Coach Rex Chaney, Dan’s roommate in college, recalled his tireless work habits too.
“Nobody worked harder than he did,” said Chaney. “And no one could stop him from scoring. He won games single-handedly sometimes because even if he missed, no one worked harder at getting offensive rebounds. We were playing powerful Western Kentucky one year and (Coach) Bobby Laughlin finally told everyone to just give the ball to Dan. I think he scored 35 points and pretty much beat Western by himself.”
Dan averaged 14.1 rebounds per game in 1955-56, the same year he scored a school-record 828 points.
Dan’s work ethic was obvious in his son too. For Chris, working harder and being smarter translated into him passing for 9,028 career yards. He tossed a school-record seven touchdowns against Murray State in 1990 and guided MSU to the season finale win over EKU in Richmond. That victory broke an 18-game losing streak to the Colonels.
Chuck Mraz, news director at Morehead State Public Radio and the play-by-play voice of Eagle football since 1986, called all of Swartz’s games.
“I believe Chris wore his spikes from high school that day we beat EKU, and I also remember him doing somersaults on the field after we won,” he said. “He was down around the 40-yard line by himself, and I distinctly remember looking down and seeing him do a couple of somersaults.”
For Chris, that game culminated a record-setting career that could have taken place at EKU.
“I remember being recruited by EKU in high school, but they finally told me I was not a Division I football player,” he recalls. “I went home and told my mom I was headed to Morehead State. I also asked her where the EKU-MSU game was that year. I figured out we would be playing at EKU my senior year. This is a true story, no lie – I told her we were going to play EKU in my last game and they would be undefeated and ranked number one and we would beat them – and that’s exactly how it went.”
Mraz noted that Swartz’s arm strength and brain overcame his lack of overpowering athletic skills.
“He had a strong arm, he could read defenses and he was very accurate,” he said. “He wasn’t fast but he was smart and was able to avoid the pass rush. He also seemed to make the right decisions on where he wanted to throw the ball.
Even as a freshman, Swartz was called upon to carry a hefty load on offense.
“What really struck me was how much the coaches put on his shoulders and how much they asked him to do even as a freshman,” recalls Mraz. “He still holds that record for most passes thrown, and I did that game against Tennessee Tech (in 1987). We literally threw on every down, and I remember he took a beating that day but he got up every time. He was such a smart quarterback and he may have been the best I’ve seen in terms of reading defenses. I also thought he was mature beyond his years”
For all the prestige the Swartz’s experienced at MSU, they both also made a name for themselves in their communities and in the professional world.
Following graduation, Chris signed with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and played one season. He has since carved a niche in the business world where he currently serves as a Vice President for Business Development for Axcess Financial. He is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
An ailing knee problem forced Dan to retire from basketball in 1963, but he returned to Bath County to serve in local politics. He was deputy sheriff for a number of years before serving as sheriff from 1978-81. He later served for United States Representative Scott Baeslar.
Dan passed away in 1997, but not before leaving a strong legacy that he and his teammates laid a foundation for future success.
“Dad played on some really great teams and with some really great players,” said Chris. “He was one of the leaders of those teams, and they put Morehead State basketball on the map. He and his teams were among the nation’s highest scoring teams, so they set that standard for teams and players going forward.”
Twenty-five years later, Chris set standards too that are still unmatched. Like father, like son.
