MSCC Class of 2012

Mark Davis

Assistant, Vanderbilt University

Mark Davis began his strength and conditioning career after a chance meeting with Nebraska strength coaching legend Boyd Epley at the 1995 National Strength and Conditioning Association national conference in Phoenix, Arizona. After trying for over a year to get into the collegiate strength coaching field, Davis was ready to pursue other opportunities until Coach Epley called several months after his initial meeting to offer Coach Davis an opportunity as a graduate assistant strength coach, an opportunity that Davis readily accepted. During his time at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers won the national championship in football, and instilled in Davis both considerable knowledge in the strength and conditioning field, but also an understanding that excellence is not an accident.

After a year and a half of understudy with some of the best minds in collegiate strength coaching, Coach Davis received his first full-time job opportunity in 1997 as the Head Strength Coach at Tennessee State University. Applying the lessons learned at Nebraska, Davis helped take a football team from a 4-7 record in 1997 to 9-3 in 1998 and 11-1 in 1999, with back-to-back conference titles in 1998 and 1999, and a number one national ranking at the end of the 1999 regular season. Davis was twice named Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

In 2000, Davis joined the strength staff at Vanderbilt, where he has been ever since. In his tenure at Vanderbilt, Coach Davis has worked with men's basketball, soccer and tennis, and women's lacrosse, track, swimming, bowling and cross country. His work with men's basketball helped the Commodores to four NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet Sixteen births, plus three SEC players-of-the-year.

Coach Davis received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wittenberg University in 1988 and a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Physical Education from Arizona State University in 1994, and has Club Coach status with the USA Weightlifting.

Coach Davis would like to thank and recognize the three head strength coaches for which he has had the opportunity to work, Boyd Epley, Todd Suttles, and John Sisk, for their support, advice, and expertise. Additionally, he would like to recognize and thank several of his peers who have influenced his strength training philosophy and approach, namely Randy Goble, Mike Arthur, Curtis Tsuruda, and Lori Alexander. Finally, he would like to thank his wife, Cindy, and son, Noah, for their unending love and support, without which his career would not be possible.