Biggest Loser star Mike Danley discusses lifestyle changes

KALAMAZOO--Coach Mike Danley, a graduate of Western Michigan University who lost 96 pounds since participating in NBC's "The Biggest Loser-Season 12," is returning to his alma mater to share his message of motivation, health and wellness.

Danley, a former Bronco football player who graduated in 1971, will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in Brown Auditorium of Schneider Hall. His presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a complimentary healthy foods reception at 7 p.m.

Representatives from WMU and Bronson Athletic Club will be on hand to share health and wellness information and community resources with the audience. Parking is available in the nearby Fetzer Center lot.

Reservations can be made by calling the Dean's Office of the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-5050.

Danley, 62, of Spencerville, Ind., is an assistant football coach at R. Nelson Snider High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., one of the more successful football programs in the region.

Although Danley was eliminated in the competition, the real success story is how the show helped him lose weight through a healthy lifestyle. Danley weighs 213 pounds, down 96 pounds from his original starting weight of 309.

"The biggest challenge was within me," Danley says of being on the show. "I am very competitive, but I just knew I had to change, and there had to be a makeover here that would help me in years to come. I didn't look at it as competing against the other men and women. I knew they had their own goals and their own reasons for being there--mine were for health and longevity."

Danley now runs drills with the Snider football team and looks forward to a long life with his family.

"Fitness continues to be a journey for me, but it is a life-changing experience," Danley says. "I am still in the process of working out and losing weight to better myself."