Dick Davey: Santa Clara's giant killer
By Chris Furnari
For the past 30 years, men's basketball head coach Dick Davey has been a staple of Santa Clara athletics.
Athletic Director Dan Coonan may have captured it best when he said, "Dick Davey embodies the very best of what Santa Clara stands for."
Coonan continued, saying, "He has been a father figure and mentor to scores of student-athletes, staff and fellow coaches. He has also made an unmistakable mark on those lives and on this great university, and has certainly earned a prominent place in Santa Clara Athletics lore."
Davey, who just recently announced he will retire at the end of the season after 15 years as head coach, served as an assistant under Carroll Williams from 1977- 1992. As an assistant, Davey helped the Broncos to six 20-win seasons, four NIT appearances and one NCAA tournament appearance. Davey was promoted the head coaching position prior to the 1992-93 season.
Davey has posted a 247-187 record as head coach, including an impressive 140-62 record at home, including his most recent win over San Francisco. Under Davey's watch, the Broncos have reached the NCAA Tournament three times and also had three 20-win seasons. In his 15 seasons as head coach, 18 players earned All-West Coast Conference honors. Davey also coached two WCC Players of the Year, most notably two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash.
In his first season as head coach, Davey led the Broncos to a 19-12 overall record and a WCC tournament championship.
It was in Davey's first tournament appearance, however, where he would write his name into the Bronco history books forever, as his team upset the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats 64-61. The Broncos dropped the next contest to Temple, but Davey had proven himself enough to garnish a WCC Coach of the Year award. He has since won two more WCC Coach of the Year awards.
Just two seasons later, Davey led his team to a 21-7 overall record and a WCC championship. The Broncos earned yet another trip to the NCAA tournament, this time losing their first round game to Mississippi State.
In the following season, 1995-96, Davey led his team to a 20-9 overall record and share of the WCC championship. Santa Clara returned to the NCAA tournament, but eventually lost to fourth ranked Kansas in the second round. The Broncos would return the following year to earn a share of the WCC championship, but did not make an NCAA appearance.
Davey, a man known for his stylish argyle sweaters, has become known as a giant-killer in his years at Santa Clara. The Broncos developed the reputation after Davey led his teams to five total wins over top-25 ranked teams. Along with the win over Arizona, a 10th seeded Broncos team ousted the Maryland Terps 91-79 in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Davey also led Santa Clara to wins over the defending national champion UCLA Bruins in the 1995 season, and a 13th-ranked Cal team led by Jason Kidd in 1993.
The most recent upset came against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Pete Newell Challenge in 2004. That year the Tar Heels were a team that Sports Illustrated had dubbed the top team in the nation. The Tar Heels went on to win the national championship, and only lost to three other teams in the regular season.
This season, Davey moved into second place all-time in career WCC wins, behind only former Santa Clara head coach Carroll Williams. He has led the Broncos to one of their best starts ever, with an overall record of 18-7 and a current conference record of 7-2, which is good enough for share of first place with perennial power Gonzaga.
Davey's impact lies not just in his stats, but also in his character. He has routinely been described as a man with a stellar work ethic and a love for the game of basketball. His impact on players past and present has been unparalleled and this has been expressed by current players, athletic administrators and Bronco Bench donors alike.
"We want to help him go out on the highest note possible," said Scott Dougherty, after a win over Saint Mary's.
"Dick has been vital not only as a coach, but as a spokesman for the university," said Bronco Bench Foundation President Charlie Dougherty. "He is the epitome of class."
Davey's class showed through as he reflected on his time at Santa Clara.
"I have had a great experience at Santa Clara both with the basketball program and in the SCU community," said Davey. "Honestly, I consider myself lucky to have spent 30 years with some super people."
Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.