AC HONORS LONG-TIME COACH WITH GUY DAVIS DAY
In
his 30-plus years as the Angelina College Roadrunner head basketball
coach, Guy Davis took under his wing more than 400 young men who began
their relationship with him as players.
But ask any of those former players just what impact The Coach had on
them, and the discussions rarely mention the Xs and Os associated with the
game of basketball. To those men, Davis became more than a coach; he
became a mentor for life.
“There are some coaches who are special enough that you can’t measure
their contributions solely by wins and losses,” AC president Dr. Larry
Phillips said. “For more than 30 years, Angelina College was fortunate
enough to have such a man as Guy Davis.”
Davis retired in 2007, ending his 31-year tenure as the Roadrunners’ head
coach. Amassing 507 wins in that span, Davis finished with 16 winning
seasons, two Region XIV Coach of the Year awards and a trip to the
National Junior College Athletic Association tournament held in
Hutchinson, KS in 1997-’98. He was also selected to coach in the NJCAA
All-Star Game following the 2006 season.
In addition, of the more than 400 players Davis coached at the junior
college level, more than 150 signed on to play basketball at the Division
1-III levels.
For those reasons – and, more importantly, his contributions to the
college and the community – Angelina College will honor The Coach with Guy
Davis Day on Saturday, Feb. 2 during half time of the AC/Paris basketball
game that tips off at 4 p.m. On hand will be several former Davis
protégées, including ex-Roadrunners Lawrence Purke, Arthur Washington,
Terry Moore, Jim Sandridge, David Dantin, Johnnie Ross and Manford Quintel.
Members of Davis’ family, along with several long-time Roadrunner
supporters and other well wishers, will make an appearance as well.
At that time, AC officials will unveil a special honor for Davis.
The Roadrunners’ current head coach, Todd Neighbors, served as an
assistant to Davis during The Coach’s final two seasons. Neighbors echoed
the sentiments of others when he praised Davis’ value to the college and
community.
“Coaching is all about building relationships,” Neighbors said. “Coach
Davis exemplified that. With a man like that, you measure wins and losses
in how you’ve prepared your players for life.
“In that respect, I’d say Coach Davis left this profession with an
unblemished record.”
The Roadrunners vs. Paris game will begin at 4 p.m., following the Lady
Roadrunner game at 2 p.m.
