Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 4, 2025 47 BY TODD D. BURLAGE G iven his tragic upbringing and all of the unthinkable challenges that came with it, Notre Dame senior Daelen Ackley freely admits that he probably has no business being a standout stu- dent-athlete at one of the most presti- gious universities in the world. Prison, murder, drugs, homelessness and hopelessness shrouded Ackley as a child. Yet somehow the gifted distance runner has still become an elite Irish cross country star, a gifted student and an inspiration to all. Where to begin? Born in 2004, Ackley grew up in cen- tral Missouri, but he never really had a stable home. Couch surfing at family and friends' places, off-and-on foster care, home- less and domestic violence shelters — they all became a way of life for Ack- ley and his mother after his father was convicted of murder and sent to prison when Daelen was 2 years old. P re s e n t b u t t ro u b l e d , Da e l e n 's mother, Amanda, faced a constant bat- tle with drug addiction, and had a tough time keeping a job and paying the bills. "I was in grade school, pretty young and naive to everything. I didn't re- ally know what was going on," Ackley shared. "I knew things weren't normal, but I really didn't fully understand just how bad everything was." This troubling pattern of addiction and relocation simmered through most of Ackley's childhood, then finally boiled over when the Department of Social Services found enough reason and cause to remove Ackley from his mother's custody and move him into foster care, permanently. On the lam with her son and hiding out at a friend's place to avoid detection and separation, Amanda finally made one of the best decisions of her troubled life when she chose to surrender Daelen to lo- cal church pastors Earl and Sylvia Ackley. Amanda had become familiar with the husband-and-wife team while living in a shelter with Daelen in El Dorado Springs, Mo., about 100 miles south of Kansas City. For Amanda, the Ackleys were a trustworthy and concerned couple who wanted the best for Daelen. And for Daelen, the Ackleys became grandpar- ent figures at the shelter because they were both in their late 60s. Relapsed and out of options to care for Daelen, Amanda surrendered cus- tody, and Daelen began a new life with Earl and Sylvia. Nothing ever came easy, bitterness ran deep, and Daelen rarely spoke with his mother following his relocation. Unable to escape her addiction, Amanda died in 2023 at the age of 51. Daelen is one of Amanda's four chil- dren, all of whom were removed from her custody and adopted into four sepa- rate homes. A TOUGH ADJUSTMENT The process moved quickly from when the Ackleys became the legal guardians for 10-year-old Daelen in 2014 and be- came his adoptive parents in 2016. That's when Daelen took their last name. Earl and Sylvia Ackley were both about 25 years older than Daelen's mother — with their biological children already grown — so an adjustment period living together was inevitable for all three. "I didn't grow up with a dad so it was weird having this man in my life ," Dae- len explained. "He was a disciplinarian figure in my life, and I never had any- thing like that before. "And even my mom, I love her so much, but when I was younger we would fight all the time. I was just so used to a toxic relationship with my biological mother, I would just fight with my mom any chance I could get. It was all I knew." Verbal fights led to Daelen frequently running away, and to countless clashes with classmates and teachers at school. Daelen also shared stories of how he faced some racial bullying in high school as the only black student in the building. "I was scared of everything, so I acted out, and I was very disrespectful," Daelen heartfully shared. "I ran away a few times because I was scared that [Earl and Sylvia] weren't going to love me if I messed up. "Because of my upbringing, I always second-guessed people's intentions and thought everybody was out to get me. So, I didn't really care what my [adop- tive] parents thought." But through it all, Earl and Sylvia never lost hope, nor did they ever lose interest. "They were so patient with me," Dae- len said, gratefully. "They were always present, kept me busy because I loved playing sports growing up, as an escape. They came to all of my sporting events. "It took a lot of 'remolding' to how I thought relationships should look. It didn't happen overnight." A FRESH START An all-around athlete, Ackley ran track and also played basketball, baseball and football in grade school, and truly discov- ered his passion for distance running in high school after dominating and winning about every race as an eighth-grader. A freshman at El Dorado Springs High School in 2018-19, Ackley posted the sixth-fastest cross country time in the Cross Country Star Daelen Ackley Has Lived Through Both Tragedy And Triumph N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S During his high school running career, Ackley claimed seven individual state titles — cross country twice, 800 meters twice, 1,600 meters twice, and 3,200 meters once. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS