Russ Davis

Biography

Russ Davis, four-time NAIA Coach of the Year, led the Lions to the 2008 NAIA National Championship and is a member of both the NAIA and Vanguard University Hall of Fame. He left the NAIA first in active coaches with an overall career winning percentage (0.786) and fourth among active coaches in wins. In 2025-26, he coached Vanguard to the schools first Pacific West Conference regular season championship, which led to Coach Davis being named the PacWest Coach of the Year, his first in the new league. The team then backed its title up with the school's first PacWest Conference trophy by beating both Westmont and APU in San Diego. The Lions appeared in the school's first NCAA National Tournament by traveling to Central Washington, beating CSULA in game one before falling to CWU in the round of 32. Before arriving in the PacWest, his squads captured 13 GSAC titles, while Davis compiled 12 GSAC Coach of the Year awards under his belt. Additionally, he is the all-time leader in wins and winning percentage for the GSAC. In all, Davis' teams at Vanguard made 25 trips to the NAIA National Tournament. The Lions have made five Fab Four appearances (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2017) at the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championships, finishing third the first three times before winning the National Championship in 2008. Davis and his squads have been to the Elite Eight 11 times during his coaching tenure. Coach Davis has 34 wins at the NAIA national tournament. His teams had appeare

Career Path