Drake’s Tom Davis retires from assistant job

May 16, 2008 12:22 am

— DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Drake basketball coach Tom Davis is retiring — and this time, it’s for good.
Davis said Thursday he is retiring from his job as an assistant to the school’s athletic director. The move comes one month after his son, Keno Davis, left the Bulldogs to become the head coach at Providence.
The 69-year-old Davis was Drake’s coach for four seasons and led the Bulldogs to their first winning season in two decades in 2006-07. He retired from the bench before last season, but stayed on as a special assistant to Sandy Hatfield-Clubb.
“The five years that I’ve been here altogether have been terrific,” Davis said. “I just can’t imagine having more fun than I’ve had in the last five years.”
Davis, known as “Dr. Tom” after earning his doctorate from the University of Maryland, left coaching in 1999 after Iowa failed to renew his contract. In 2003 he was hired to take a Drake program that was languishing in the Missouri Valley Conference cellar.
Davis turned the program over to his son after the Bulldogs broke through with a winning season. Under Keno Davis, Drake went 28-5 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in 37 years.
“The fact that Dr. Tom would come out of retirement and come and revitalize the men’s basketball program says so much for Drake University,” Hatfield-Clubb said. “It’s endless what he’s done over the last five years, being a member of the Drake family.”
Davis spent 32 years as a Division I head coach, racking up 598 wins. Davis was named The Associated Press coach of the year in 1987 while at Iowa.
Keno Davis earned that honor last season, his first as a head coach. His father usually sat across from the Drake bench at home games, and Keno said the foundation Tom Davis laid when he was the head coach was a major reason why the program flourished last season.
Tom Davis said last year’s team — which won the Valley title — provided many of the fondest memories he’ll have of Drake.
“Part of it came from the fact that so many people said it couldn’t be done here, that you couldn’t win at Drake,” Davis said. “To see it happen probably added to the enjoyment.”
Davis said he plans to remain in Iowa. He has homes in Des Moines and Iowa City.