University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Athletics

James Davies, who taught and coached at UW-Oshkosh for 26 years, died Sept. 1, 2013 in Oshkosh at the age of 87.

Davies, a 26-year veteran of teaching and coaching at UW-Oshkosh, joined the Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh physical education faculty in 1964. He served as head men’s swimming & diving coach from 1965-78, head women’s tennis coach from 1978-89 and head men’s tennis coach from 1965-90. During his coaching tenure, UW-Oshkosh compiled a 267-236 record in men’s tennis, a 91-88 record in men’s swimming and an 83-87 record in women’s tennis.

Davies enjoyed outstanding success as men’s tennis coach, leading UW-Oshkosh to 10 then-called WSUC titles and eight top-10 finishes at the NAIA Championship. UW-Oshkosh won WSUC titles in each of his first nine seasons from 1965-73 and again in 1975. UW-Oshkosh’s highest finishes at the NAIA Championship were third place in 1968, fifth place in 1971 and sixth place in 1969.

In men’s swimming & diving, Davies mentored Chris Keefe, one of the program’s most decorated athletes. Keefe earned three NAIA All-America awards in the freestyle events from 1973-75.

Davies coached three singles players and one doubles team to titles at the WIAC Women’s Tennis Championship.

“I never met a student-athlete I didn’t like,” Davies said after his retirement in 1990. “It was just a fantastic experience. I would never change it for the world. I feel I had the best job at the university”.
 
Davies received several coaching honors during his tenure at UW-Oshkosh. Among them were five NAIA District 14 Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year (1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1982) and one then-called WWIAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year awards in 1987. In 1972, Davies was runner-up in the balloting for NAIA Men’s Tennis National Coach of the Year.
 
Davies received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin. At Wisconsin, Davies earned four varsity letters in swimming & diving and received All-America status at the NCAA Division I Championship in 1949 and 1950.
 
Prior to coming to UW-Oshkosh, Davies spent 14 years teaching and coaching at Beaver Dam Wayland Academy, Janesville High School, Winona State University (Minn.) and the University of Wisconsin. In 1996, Davies was named to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.