Dan Inman, former Georgia football player and 'gentle giant,' dies at 41

ATHENS — He blocked for Georgia quarterbacks David Greene, D.J. Shockley and Matthew Stafford. He coached football with David Perno and Damien Gary. He stayed busy trying to turn two young boys into men. Daniel Inman was a lot of things to a lot of people. All of them agree he is gone much too soon.

Inman died Monday after a 10-day hospital stay because of a heart ailment, according to his friends. He was 41.

“It’s a terrible tragedy, definitely something we didn’t expect,” said Damien Gary, who played with Inman at Georgia and coached with him at Clarke Central High School. “But, you know, in the short time Dan was with us, he left a lasting impact on everybody he met. It seems like he’s been around forever, and that kind of sums up who he was.”

A mountain of a man, a teddy bear of a person, that is the common description of Inman. He came to Georgia from Hope Mills, North Carolina, to play football. Playing at 6-foot-7, 328 pounds, he starred on the offensive line for the Bulldogs from 2003-06.

Credit: ajc staff

Credit: ajc staff

“I could laugh and talk about Dan all day,” said Russ Tanner, who played center while Inman was an offensive tackle. “He was as unique an individual as you’ll ever find, a country boy who loved listening to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings with his friends. He had a big heart, literally and figuratively. One of the biggest human beings you will ever meet, but he was such a tender guy who really loved the people he cared about.”

Said Gary: “He was a gentle giant. They’ve got this pet rottweiler, who’s just so big and stubborn. But all that dog wants to do is sit in somebody’s lap. That’s exactly how Dan acts.”

Inman leaves behind Erin, his wife, and two children, Cash, 10, and Walker, 8. The family will hold a small private service in North Carolina this week. A celebration of life event is being planned in Athens for Jan. 19.

Pro football wasn’t in the cards for Inman. Instead, he turned to teaching and coaching. He last worked for coach David Perno at Clarke Central in 2022-23.

“He did a great job for us while he was coaching,” Clarke Central Athletic Director Jon Ward said. “Our kids loved him, and he was a great coach.”

Inman did a lot of great things on the football field for the Bulldogs. He was a rare four-year starter as an offensive lineman and twice earned All-SEC honors. Georgia won the 2005 SEC title and played for another with Inman playing tackle.

Gary and Tanner are among a large group of former teammates who gathered at Inman’s home this week to comfort the family and swap stories.

“Him and (David) Pollack would fight every day in practice, it seemed like,” Tanner said. “But we’d come back after practice and he’d be like, ‘Bo’ — he called everybody Bo — ‘Bo, why you gotta fight with me every day; you know I love you.’ He was in David’s wedding; he was in my wedding and bunch of other guys as well. We’re gonna miss him.”