Thomas Robert Davis[1] (born December 3, 1938) is an American former college men's basketball coach.
[2] A native of Ridgeway, Wisconsin, Davis attended the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, where he played on the basketball team as a point guard.
He was interested in politics, and between his junior and senior years of college, held a congressional internship for Wisconsin state senator Alexander Wiley.
[4] He attempted to mimic the martinet coaching style of his own college mentor, John Barth, but concluded that "You have to be yourself.
While at Iowa, he led the Hawkeyes to nine NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances as well as an Elite Eight.
The Hawkeyes won a school record thirty games before eventually being beaten in the Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament by UNLV 84–81.
On April 2, 1998, after Iowa lost in the first round of the NIT, Davis announced that he would resign after his contract would expire in the following season.
[9] In Davis's final season, Iowa advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988.