Lady Cougar Basketball Head Coach
Mike Davis
In just eight seasons, Lady Cougars head coach Mike Davis has brought the Columbia College women's basketball program to a level that competes at the national level each and every year.
This was no easy task considering Columbia College had just reinstated women's basketball as an intercollegiate sport in 2000 when Davis first arrived. In eight seasons, Davis has amassed a record of 204 wins and just 69 losses (.749). Davis has guided the team to NAIA Division I National Tournament appearances in six out of the past eight seasons, moving into the second round in 2003-04, 2004-05 and most recently 2008-09. Davis has also guided the Lady Cougars to three American Midwest Conference (AMC) championships. In addition, Davis has been named the AMC Coach of the Year four times since taking over the program.
Davis likes to use an up-tempo style of play and builds his team around versatile players. He argues that there is no substitute for a winner and expects nothing less from his teams than a burning desire to win.
Davis, who is a native of New Franklin, Mo., spent his first year at Columbia College penning some of the top student-athletes from around the country and the world preparing for the inaugural season. Davis has coached five NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes and eight NAIA All-Americans in his time at Columbia.
Last season the Lady Cougars finished conference play with a 14-2 record, good enough for a first place tie. Columbia earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament where they advanced to the second round and finished the season with a 29-5 record.
During the 2004-05 season Davis led the Lady Cougars to the second round of the NAIA Division I National Tournament, an AMC championship and a final NAIA ranking of No. 11 while finishing the season with an overall record of 31-6.
The Lady Cougars advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NAIA Division I National Tournament for the first time in program's history during the 2003-04 season finishing the with a 28-8 overall record and a No. 17 final ranking.
Davis led the 2001-02 squad to a 30-5 mark in the program's first year, losing in the first round of the NAIA Division I National Tournament finishing the season ranked No. 20 in the final NAIA Top 25 Poll.
In September 2009 Davis was inducted into the Central Methodist University Hariston Hall of Fame. Davis coached women's basketball at Central Methodist for 12 years prior to joining the Columbia College Staff. During his tenure, Davis posted five consecutive 20-win seasons and was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach-of-the-Year three times. He also led the Lady Eagles to four straight NAIA National Tournament appearances, including a Final Four finish in the 1998-99 season. Davis had nine NAIA All-Americans, four NAIA National Players-of-the-Week, six Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes and eight 1,000-point club members.
Davis graduated from Central Methodist College in 1983 with a bachelor of science in business administration. He took over the CMC program in 1987 where posted an overall coaching record was 260-157 (.624).
Mike’s wife, Susan, is the Director of Alumni Services at Columbia College. They reside in Boonville, Mo., with their daughter Whitney and their son Wesley.