A long-time area resident and coach, Duane Davis begins his 14th year as the head coach of the men's basketball team at Mount Saint Mary College in 2008-09. In 13 seasons, Davis has led the Blue Knights to a combined record of 211-143, reaching the 200-win plateau with a win over Stevens Institute of Technology on the final day of the regular season in 2006-07. His time at the Mount also includes a pair of NCAA Division III Championship appearances, one in 1999-00, and the other in 2004-05.
While at Mount Saint Mary, Davis has guided the Blue Knights to two Skyline Conference Tournament championships (1999-00 and 2004-05), one Skyline regular-season title (shared with U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the College of Mount Saint Vincent in 1996-97), and six trips to the ECAC Metro (N.Y./N.J.) Region Tournament. The Blue Knights have qualified for the year-end Skyline Tournament in every season since the tournament's inception in 1998-99.
The Blue Knights set the school record for winning percentage during the 2005-06 season (22-7), despite their loss in the Skyline Conference semifinals to Manhattanville. Their best run through the ECAC Tournament occurred in 2002-03, as they reached the championship game. After wins over Staten Island and New Jersey City, the Blue Knights lost to Baruch in the title contest.
Davis, inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Hall of Fame on March 19, 2005, was named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in 1996-97.
Davis began his coaching career in 1963 at Bishop Burke High School in Gloversville, N.Y. At Burke, Davis coached football, soccer, cross country, baseball, and basketball while serving as the Director of Athletics. In 1974, Davis moved on to Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, N.Y., where he coached baseball for 27 years and basketball for 17 years. At FDR, Davis collected over 500 wins as a varsity coach and won a sectional title for basketball in 1979-80.
Davis earned a B.A. in business from Empire State College in 1957 and his master's degree in business education from SUNY Albany in 1974. Davis lives in Staatsburg, N.Y., with his wife, Carol. They have four children: Karen, Diane, Jennifer, and Paul, as well as four grandchildren.
