Davis entered his ninth year as the head coach at Vanguard University with a career coaching record of 195-70. In 1998 he was named Golden State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after his team went 12-0 and won the GSAC title, while making their first appearance at the NAIA National Basketball Tournament.

Davis' teams have won five GSAC Championships and have competed in six NAIA National Tournaments, finishing as high as third place. Davis earned his third GSAC Coach of the Year award in 2004 after guiding the Lady Lions to the GSAC regular season title and the GSAC Postseason Tournament Championship. This season, the Lady Lions became regular-season GSAC Champions and GSAC Tournament Champions for the second year in a row.

"Russell Athletic is honored to congratulate Coach Russ Davis, the 2005 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National NAIA Coach of the Year. With a deep commitment to supporting female athletes and elevating their athletic performance on the court, Russell Athletic shares Coach Russ Davis' passion for competition and devotion to preserving the integrity of sport," said Rod McGeachy, Vice President of Marketing for Russell Athletic. "We have the utmost respect and admiration for Coach Davis, and we applaud his dedication to mentoring young female athletes on and off the basketball court."

RUSSELL ATHETIC and the WBCA would also like to recognize the following NAIA Regional Coaches of the Year:

Davis is one of six WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected by the Association, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and JC/CC) and High School. Each collegiate winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each
WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Davis, having received the most votes in WBCA Region One, advanced as a finalist to the national level of the selection process along with the other six Regional Coaches of the Year in NAIA.

Davis and the national winners from the other five divisions will be honored at the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coach of the Year luncheon on Tuesday, April 5 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. The luncheon is part of the 2005 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.