Rich Davis, a Dayton Athletic Association Distance Running Hall of Fame member, coached the UD men’s cross country team for 18 seasons. All of the 18 Flyer squads coached by Davis have been named as U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. Under his guidance, the UD individual 8K record has been reset eleven times. Davis was named as the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year in 2008 by the Ohio Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association.
He will now serve as an assistant coach for the Flyer men's cross country program.
Under Davis' guidance, the Flyers have had six Atlantic 10 All-Conference team members, while four others have earned the A-10's Rookie of the Year award. The A-10 All-Conference performers were Rick Heitkamp (5th in 1998), Dan Moroney (7th in 1999), Mike Andersen (9th in 2005, 3rd in 2006, 5th in 2008, 6th in 2009), Matt Lemon (8th in 2007, 8th in 2009, 9th in 2009, 4th in 2010), Chris Lemon (3rd in 2008, 1st in 2009, 2nd in 2010) and Greg Roeth (8th in 2010, 3rd in 2011). The Flyer freshmen earning the top rookie honor include: Kevin Tscholl (2000), Mike Andersen (2005), Matt Lemon (2007) and Greg Roeth (2009).
He has also coached two runners that were recognized by the Atlantic 10 Conference for their academic achievements combined with their athletic excellence. Eric Contreras (2005, 2006) and Chris Lemon (2009, 2010) were named the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year.
The 18-year UD coach had one of his more memorable squads in 2009 when the team finished third at the Atlantic 10 championships, the program’s highest placing in 18 years of A-10 competition.
A native of western Pennsylvania, Davis has lived in the Dayton area since graduating from Cedarville College in 1967, where he captained the track team and earned MVP honors in cross country. He is retired from a 30-year career of teaching and coaching in the Centerville City Schools and the Sugarcreek Local Schools in Bellbrook. His 1976 high school team remains as the only Bellbrook boy's team to qualify for the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s State Cross Country Championships. Davis and his wife Doris, who is also retired from a 30-year teaching career, live in Washington Township.
A lifetime runner, Davis has been an USA Track and Field Masters All-American at the 10,000 and 5,000 meter races in 3 different age groups. He also has represented the United States in two World Veterans Championships. In his year prior to joining UD, he was the USA Track & Field (USATF) Masters National 8K Cross Country bronze medalist, the 10,000 meter silver medalist at the USATF Masters National Track & Field Championships and the USATF National Champion at the12K on the roads in the fifty-and-over age group. He has completed 35 marathons, which include seven finishes in the Boston Marathon.
By the Numbers:
18 Consecutive years of coaching a nationally ranked All-American Academic Cross Country team
15 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Cross Country Individual Performances
4 Atlantic 10 Top Rookie Cross Country Runners
4 Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year Awards
3 NCAA Division I National Championships Qualifiers
