Dr. Barry Davis feels he has done all he can do as Rider University baseball coach.
And now, it’s time to do new things.
Friday morning, Davis informed his team and Athletic Director Don Harnum that he is stepping down after 20 years as the Broncs’ head man.
“It’s just time,” Davis said. “People might ask ‘Is it the NILs?’ No. ‘Is it because of the portal?’ No, although those things will come into factor more as we go. But at this point that’s not the reason. It’s one of those things, it’s just time to go. It’s just time for me to take on new challenges.”
Davis has met his challenges admirably at Rider. In 2005, he succeeded the legendary Sonny Pittaro as only the program’s third baseball coach since 1960 (Tom Petroff was the other). In two decades, Davis went 483-520-1 overall and 252-209 in MAAC play. His teams qualified for 13 conference tournaments, won four of them to make four NCAA appearances, and claimed two regular-season conference titles. He sent six players to professional ball and one to MLB, and six former assistants have been, or are, head college coaches.
In 2023, Rider stunned No. 10 ranked Coastal Carolina in the NCAA regionals and came within a foul ball down the right field line of upsetting Duke in the next game. Under Davis the Broncs set a school record with 36 wins in 2010 and 2023. In 2010, they scored the most runs (447) and had the highest fielding percentage (.974) in program history.
Last spring Rider went 28-23 and by then Davis was thinking about leaving. He earned his PhD in Sports Leadership in 2019 “to have something to lean on that could open other doors if I needed it.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he continued. “When you get to be 60 and have done this for 35 years there’s a combination of things that come together. You start to think, ‘Is there anything else out there to challenge myself?’”
Davis’ overall collegiate coaching record is 1054-716-7. In 11 years he led Gloucester County College (now Rowan College of South Jersey) to four national championships. He had four strong seasons with NAIA program Georgia Southwestern State University before becoming the eighth baseball coach in Rider history in July of 2004.
“(Former Athletic Director) Curt Blake hired me when nobody wanted me,” the Virginia native said. “In a lot of people’s eyes he took a chance. I wasn’t from the area, I didn’t have any Rider background. I hope I have made him proud of his decision to hire me.”
As a brash young coach at Gloucester, Davis had to maintain his own field, drive the team bus and all the other humdrum chores associated with JUCO programs. But the fact he was molding young men made it worthwhile.
“When I decided to be a coach, I was obsessed and passionate about coaching, teaching and winning,” Davis said. “Those are the four words that would describe me in 35 years – passionate, obsessed, teaching and winning.”
And that energy still runs through him.
“I do want to coach again,” he said. “In what capacity, I’m not sure. I still have lofty goals and I know I can help others in their journeys. I’m not retiring from coaching, I’m just retiring from Rider.”
He feels he has left the program in good shape for whoever his successor may be.
“We have a good culture, good kids,” he said. “At one point last year we were one of the only teams that didn’t have anyone in the portal. We’ve been competitive. We’ve had them stay in school and graduate.”
Davis has been doing some consulting and speaking, and has joined forces with BrightRay Publishing to write a book coming out soon.
“Old Dog, New Tricks: The Power of Leading with Emotional Intelligence,” is a fictional account of a basketball coach who is fired from pro and JUCO programs due to an uncontrollable temper. He is hired by the president of a college – an old friend – to coach the women’s basketball team. Laced throughout the book are true historical accounts concerning John Havlicek, Pete Rose and other inspirational teammates.
“The book is about me, in a sense, as a young coach,” Davis said. “He is mentored four times a week by the president. I’m hoping to be more like the president in this book, wanting to try and help other people and not worrying so much about me.”
Davis has come a long way since starting as an assistant at age 24, and applied the lessons he learned to his craft.
“I would say I’m a better baseball coach today than I ever have been,” he said. “The confidence is always there.”
For Davis, it was not just about coaching, but everything that surrounded it.
“I’ll miss the bus trips, the hotels, the preparation for the games, the competition,” he said. “I’ll miss practice.”
When it comes to tangibles, Davis is proudest of the fact that Rider won conference titles in all three decades he has been there. As for the intangibles, “I’m proud that my players walked away learning something about how to play baseball and what work ethic was.
“I went to a lot of practices and can’t remember not being excited about trying to teach them something new,” he added. “Rarely did I go to practice where I didn’t have an edge. That’s what I’m most proud of – the consistency of setting the example. If I never coach another game again, people knew I gave all I had to teaching the game that’s so fun to teach.”
In a prepared statement issued to players, parents and alumni, Davis thanked countless groups of people, from players to parents, to assistants and alumni.
Part of his message was:
“The last two decades have left me with tremendous memories and accomplishments. . .My players displayed greatness both on the field and in the classroom. . . You made us all proud.
“Thank you for buying into a culture that stresses teamwork and individual greatness. It was not easy early on, but we proved many people wrong. Thank you for being committed to the collective cause we stressed . . . You are the reason Rider baseball was successful.”
After delivering other platitudes in the statement, Davis summed it up thusly:
“It has been a terrific ride, but it is time to move on to the next chapter. I wish Rider nothing but success in the future.”
And with that, he is off to conquer new worlds. . .but won’t completely rule out returning to the baseball universe.
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