Daniel Esparza is currently an assistant football coach at Waunakee High School in Waunakee, Wis., serving as Special Teams Coordinator and Inside Linebackers Coach.
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Esparza started his coaching career as an assistant at Bartlett High School in 2004. He coached in various roles until 2009, the year the Golden Bears won the state championship. Esparza was part of the defensive staff at the time, coaching a defense that still stands as one of the best statistical defenses in Alaska since 2000. In 2010, he accepted the Head Coach position at West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska.
In the 2010 and 2011 seasons at West Valley, Esparza went 10-8, making the playoffs both years. In 2011, the Wolfpack also won a share of the Railbelt Conference Title, the first time at WVHS since 2001.
In 2012, Esparza was hired as the Head Coach at Bartlett High School, succeeding his former head coach, John Jessen, a position he held until 2019. In his eight seasons with the Golden Bears, his teams made the playoffs six times, reaching the State Semifinals four times. Under Esparza, Bartlett won three conference championships and the 2017 Alaska Football State Championship. From 2015-2018, the Golden Bears had the highest scoring offenses in the state. His overall career head coaching record is 52-41.
Following the 2019 season, Esparza and his family moved to Wisconsin, where he accepted teaching and assistant football coaching jobs at Waunakee High School, one of the most renowned high school programs in the country. In his six seasons with the Warriors, Esparza has been a part of one State Championship (2021), one runner-up finish (2023), and has lost a total of five games. In 2025, he was named the Badger Large Conference Assistant Coach of the Year.
Esparza and his wife, also a coach and teacher, currently live in Waunakee with their four daughters.