Santa Clara University: Dick Davey to Retire from Coaching Santa Clara Basketball.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Santa Clara University announced today that Dick Davey men's basketball coach will be retiring as head coach at the end of the season.

"I have had a great experience at Santa Clara both with the basketball program and in the SCU community," said Davey. "Honestly, I consider myself lucky to have spent 30 years with some super people. There comes a time when change needs to occur. Now is that time. It is my hope that we can finish the season on a strong note and that next year brings even better rewards to the young men in the program. Go Broncos."

Davey has been offered a position with the university in a fund raising capacity.

"Dick Davey along with his mentor Carroll Williams, has been synonymous with Santa Clara University basketball. For the past 30 years Dick has devoted his time, energy and vast talents to foster an exceptional basketball program and legacy," said SCU President Paul Locatelli, S.J.

"Central to that legacy are the many exceptional student-athletes who have competed for Santa Clara and who have been victorious both on the court and in their lives," Locatelli said. "I have great respect for Dick as a teacher and his contributions to the Jesuit ideal of educating the whole person. We are grateful that Dick will remain a part of the Santa Clara University family."

"Dick Davey embodies the very best of what Santa Clara stands for," said Director of Athletics and Recreation Dan Coonan. "He has been a father figure and mentor to scores of student-athletes, staff and fellow coaches. He has also made an unmistakable mark on those lives and on this great University, and has certainly earned a prominent place in Santa Clara Athletics lore. Dick has been and will continue to be a wonderful ambassador for the University."

"We will begin the search process for his replacement immediately," continued Coonan. "We happen to think this is a tremendous opportunity, and that the program is poised for a very bright future based upon the wonderful success the coaches have had with the team this season. I am certain there will be no shortage of phenomenal candidates interested," Coonan said.

"Dick has been vital not only as a coach, but as a spokesman for the university," said Bronco Bench Foundation President Charlie Dougherty. "He is the epitome of class. The Bronco Bench Foundation owes him a great deal of gratitude for his support of scholarship fundraising endeavors. I value Dick as a personal friend and I am hopeful that he will remain closely associated with the university in any role because he is an integral part of the SCU community."

As a head coach at Santa Clara, Davey has posted a 245-187 record, including an outstanding 139-62 record at home during that time. He has guided the Broncos to three NCAA Tournament appearances and three 20-win seasons. During his tenure, 18 players earned All-West Coast Conference honors and he coached two WCC Players of the Year (Steve Nash and Marlon Garnett). This season, he moved into second place all-time in career WCC wins behind only former Santa Clara head coach Carroll Williams.

Davey has spent 30 years at Santa Clara, starting as an assistant coach in 1977 under Williams. After helping the Broncos to six 20-win seasons, four NIT appearances and one NCAA Tournament appearance as an assistant, Davey became the head coach at Santa Clara prior to the 1992-93 season.

In his first year, Davey's squad won the WCC Tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where the 15th-seeded Broncos upset the second seeded Arizona Wildcats in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. Davey was named WCC Coach of the Year that season and would go on to lead SCU to three WCC regular season titles and two more NCAA Tournament appearances. He would also pick up two more WCC Coach of the Year awards.

Under Davey, SCU developed a reputation as a giant killer, as his teams earned five wins over top-25 teams. Along with the win over Arizona in 1993, SCU, a No. 10 seed, also defeated No. 7 seed Maryland 91-79 in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Other memorable upsets include the Broncos' 78-69 win over the defending national champion UCLA Bruins at the 1995 Maui Invitational, an 80-67 win over a 13th-ranked Cal team, which was led by Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray, in 1993 and a 77-66 victory over the University of North Carolina at the Pete Newell Challenge in 2004. The Tar Heels came into that game billed by Sports Illustrated as the top team in the nation.

Numerous players coached by Davey at Santa Clara have gone on to play professional basketball both in the United States and overseas, including two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash, who played for Davey from 1992-96. Marlon Garnett '97 also spent time in the NBA, playing for the Boston Celtics during the 1998-99 season, before continuing his pro career in Europe. Former Santa Clara players under Davey that continue to play professional basketball also include Doron Perkins '05, Brian Jones '01, Steve Ross '02, Kyle Bailey '05 and Jason Sedlock '97.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,377 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.