AUBURN, Ala. – Bob Davis, who was Auburn's head men's basketball coach from 1973-78, passed away Saturday in his hometown of Georgetown, Ky. at the age of 93.
In five seasons with the Tigers, Davis amassed a 70-61 record, including 42-48 in Southeastern Conference play. His 70 victories rank ninth on Auburn's all-time wins list. In his second season on the bench, Davis guided the Tigers to an 18-8 record, which tied for the fourth-most wins in a single season at the time in the Auburn record books, and finished third in the SEC.
Davis came to Auburn from Georgetown College (Ky.), where he spent 20 years coaching and teaching. He tallied a 415-182 record with the Tigers. Prior to that, Davis coached at High Point for two seasons and went 37-23.
Born on May 21, 1927 in Buckingham County, Virginia, David graduated from Vinson High School in Huntington, West Virginia and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Naval Aviation. He was honorably discharged the next year before enrolling at Georgetown College where he played football and ran track. Davis graduated from Georgetown in 1950, competed his master's degree at the University of Kentucky in 1955 and his PhD in education from Peabody at Vanderbilt University in 1963.
He garnered an assortment of honors over the years, including serving as vice chairman for the United States Olympic Basketball Committee from 1964 to 1973. He was also the head coach of the U.S. basketball team in the 1970 World University Games where he mentored former Tiger great John Mengelt. Davis was inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame and is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame.
He was preceded in death by his son, Brad Davis, who graduated from Auburn in 1978 and received his MBA from Auburn in 2001. Dr. Davis is survived by his wife of 68 years, Joyce Huddleston Davis; his daughter, Cindy Davis VanHoose (Gary); grandchildren Stephen Davis (Allison), Andrea Davis Gaydon (Jay), Caroline Davis Van Dora (Jeremiah), and Lara VanHoose Kirkland (Cody); great-grandchildren Brooke Ann Davis, James Robert, John Bradley, Haley and Kelsey Gaydon, Clara Ruth and Evelyn True Van Dora, and Jordyn Kirkland; his younger brothers Jack Davis (Mae) and David Young (Sharon), as well as many nieces and nephews.
Due to Covid restrictions, the celebration of Bob's life will be a private service with limited attendance on March 17 at 10 a.m. CT. The service will be livestreamed through Georgetown Baptist Church's Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
