Based on his performance in 1943, he was named a unanimous All-American and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Daley has the unique status of having played in and won Little Brown Jug games for both Minnesota and Michigan, compiling a record of 4–0 in those contests.

After active service in the Pacific Theater during World War II, Daley played professional football for three years in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946), the Miami Seahawks (1946), the Chicago Rockets (1947), and the New York Yankees (1948).

[1] Daley attended DePaul University in Chicago, where he met a track and field coach who persuaded him to pursue football.

Because of his college background, Daley was selected to attend a midshipman academy at Columbia University in New York City.

[2] While in Ann Arbor, recruits were required to remain in good physical shape and were given two choices: either participate in Navy fitness classes or work out with the Michigan football team.

Daley's speed and power helped the Wolverines tie Purdue for the Big Ten Conference title.

He holds the distinction of being the only player to win Little Brown Jug games playing for both Minnesota and Michigan.

[2][4] Asked at the time about having the opportunity to battle for the Little Brown Jug from the other side of the fence, Daley denied having qualms about playing his former teammates: "It will have to be just another game.

"[4] Daley later recalled the significance of the Little Brown Jug in the years he played: "We were always told to never lose this game.

In addition to Daley, the 1943 Michigan team also benefited from the arrival of another wartime transfer, Pro Football Hall of Famer Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch from Wisconsin.

Daley said his one disappointment about his college football career was that he never played on a team that beat Notre Dame.

[2] He played four seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Miami Seahawks the Chicago Rockets, and New York Yankees.

He spent ten years in the broadcast booth for the Minnesota Golden Gophers with Dick Enroth and Ray Christensen.

He also did a few years of color analysis on radio broadcasts of the Minnesota Vikings when the franchise began in the early 1960s.

In approximately 1974, they then opened the Daly Illustration Art Gallery in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

In 2005 Daley was selected as one of the 100 greatest Michigan football players of all time by the "Motown Sports Revival," ranking 63rdt on the all-time team.