Dick Davey's coaching career spanned 44 years.
The 1960 Ceres High graduate had success at every stop.
Davey was inducted into the Sportsmen of Stanislaus Club's Hall of Fame on May 2 at the 45th Outstanding Athletic Awards Banquet.
"It gives me a lot of satisfaction," said Art McRae, Dick's prep baseball coach. "It doesn't surprise me. Pretty good for a kid that was born and raised in Ceres."
Davey, 69, completed his fourth and final season as associate head coach of the Stanford men's basketball team in March. The Cardinal won the 2012 NIT Championship.
Davey spent the previous 30 seasons at Santa Clara, his final 15 as head coach.
He led the Broncos to a 251-190 overall record, three NCAA Tournament appearances, three WCC regular season championships, one WCC Tournament title and four 20-win seasons.
Santa Clara upset fifth-ranked and second-seeded Arizona 64-61 in the opening round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. Davey's point guard, Steve Nash, went on to star in the NBA. The two-time, league MVP currently plays for the Phoenix Suns.
Dick served as a Cal assistant for five seasons.
"Without a doubt in my mind, this is the greatest place of employment you can have," said Davey, who decided to retire from coaching to spend more time with his family. "If you really love the game, it is a tremendous job. Yes, there is stress involved. People talk to me about stress as an assistant, and how you may not have as much if you were a head coach. But it's about doing the best you can at what you do. What more can you ask for. Some people work for a living, and we get to coach."
Dick's first coaching stint was at Leland High School in San Jose. His teams went a combined 61-53 in five seasons. The Chargers placed third in the 1971 Central Coast Section Playoffs.
Davey earned three varsity letters in both basketball and baseball at the University of the Pacific. A two-time, All-West Coast Conference honoree as a catcher, Dick signed a professional contract with the San Francisco Giants after completing his education in 1964. He played two seasons in their farm system before his career was cut short due to injury.
A three-sport star at Ceres High, Davey was inducted into the Bulldogs' Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He played football (quarterback), basketball (guard) and baseball (catcher).
Art McRae, the all-time winningest baseball coach in Ceres High's history and a fellow Bulldog HOF member, had Davey for one season. Dick's main position on the league-championship team was behind home plate.
"He showed a lot of leadership on the field," McRae said. "He was very competitive. He was mature, physically, mentally and emotionally. It was like having a second coach on the team. He was a very talented player. He came from a real solid family."
Davey was also Ceres High's No. 2 pitcher. He was once pulled from a game despite dominating. Dick had a no-hitter through four innings.
"That's something you don't do," Art said. "He ribs me about that to this day."
McRae, a 50-year member of the SOS Club, was a part of the nominating committee that selected Davey for induction. "This is probably the highlight, getting a chance to introduce Dick," McRae said.
Davey and his wife Jeanne live in Saratoga. They have two children, Mike and Kimberly, and four grandchildren, Samantha, Rachel, Niko and Kyra.
"If it were strictly up to me, I would coach until I could no longer stand," Davey said. "Of course, I say that somewhat reluctantly, because I want to spend some time with my wife, too. She's been kind of getting the short end of the stick while I've been in coaching. As you all know but also maybe don't know completely, coaching takes a lot of time. Not the fact that you're coaching, but just the time involved with being in this profession during the season."
The 1960 Ceres High graduate had success at every stop.
Davey was inducted into the Sportsmen of Stanislaus Club's Hall of Fame on May 2 at the 45th Outstanding Athletic Awards Banquet.
"It gives me a lot of satisfaction," said Art McRae, Dick's prep baseball coach. "It doesn't surprise me. Pretty good for a kid that was born and raised in Ceres."
Davey, 69, completed his fourth and final season as associate head coach of the Stanford men's basketball team in March. The Cardinal won the 2012 NIT Championship.
Davey spent the previous 30 seasons at Santa Clara, his final 15 as head coach.
He led the Broncos to a 251-190 overall record, three NCAA Tournament appearances, three WCC regular season championships, one WCC Tournament title and four 20-win seasons.
Santa Clara upset fifth-ranked and second-seeded Arizona 64-61 in the opening round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. Davey's point guard, Steve Nash, went on to star in the NBA. The two-time, league MVP currently plays for the Phoenix Suns.
Dick served as a Cal assistant for five seasons.
"Without a doubt in my mind, this is the greatest place of employment you can have," said Davey, who decided to retire from coaching to spend more time with his family. "If you really love the game, it is a tremendous job. Yes, there is stress involved. People talk to me about stress as an assistant, and how you may not have as much if you were a head coach. But it's about doing the best you can at what you do. What more can you ask for. Some people work for a living, and we get to coach."
Dick's first coaching stint was at Leland High School in San Jose. His teams went a combined 61-53 in five seasons. The Chargers placed third in the 1971 Central Coast Section Playoffs.
Davey earned three varsity letters in both basketball and baseball at the University of the Pacific. A two-time, All-West Coast Conference honoree as a catcher, Dick signed a professional contract with the San Francisco Giants after completing his education in 1964. He played two seasons in their farm system before his career was cut short due to injury.
A three-sport star at Ceres High, Davey was inducted into the Bulldogs' Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He played football (quarterback), basketball (guard) and baseball (catcher).
Art McRae, the all-time winningest baseball coach in Ceres High's history and a fellow Bulldog HOF member, had Davey for one season. Dick's main position on the league-championship team was behind home plate.
"He showed a lot of leadership on the field," McRae said. "He was very competitive. He was mature, physically, mentally and emotionally. It was like having a second coach on the team. He was a very talented player. He came from a real solid family."
Davey was also Ceres High's No. 2 pitcher. He was once pulled from a game despite dominating. Dick had a no-hitter through four innings.
"That's something you don't do," Art said. "He ribs me about that to this day."
McRae, a 50-year member of the SOS Club, was a part of the nominating committee that selected Davey for induction. "This is probably the highlight, getting a chance to introduce Dick," McRae said.
Davey and his wife Jeanne live in Saratoga. They have two children, Mike and Kimberly, and four grandchildren, Samantha, Rachel, Niko and Kyra.
"If it were strictly up to me, I would coach until I could no longer stand," Davey said. "Of course, I say that somewhat reluctantly, because I want to spend some time with my wife, too. She's been kind of getting the short end of the stick while I've been in coaching. As you all know but also maybe don't know completely, coaching takes a lot of time. Not the fact that you're coaching, but just the time involved with being in this profession during the season."
