Thomas Robert Davis (born December 3, 1938) is an American former college men's basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Lafayette College, Boston College, Stanford University, the University of Iowa, and Drake University from 1971 to 2007. Early life 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. Coaching career After graduating from UW–Platteville, at the age of 21, Davis took over as head coach at Milledgeville High School in Milledgeville, Illinois for the 1960–61 school year. He attempted to mimic the martinet coaching style of his own college mentor, John Barth, but concluded that "You have to be yourself. What works for someone else isn't going to work for you just because it worked for him." From 1961 to 1966, Davis was head coach at Portage High School in Portage, Wisconsin. While there, he faced a dilemma in allotting playing time to his players, most of whom he believed were good enough to warrant it. Davis awarded playing time to all deserving players, which gave rise to his philosophy of constantly pressing and rotating players in an effort to wear down the opposing team. Davis earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1967, Frank Fellows took over as head coach at the University of Maryland, and hired Davis onto his staff. While serving as an assistant at Maryland, Davis earned his doctorate in history. Lafayette College Davis began his coaching career at Lafayette College in 1971. During his six-year tenure at the school, he posted a 116–44 record, advancing to the NIT in 1972 and 1975. Future Maryland head coach Gary Williams, who had played as a point guard under Davis at Maryland, served as one of his assistants at Lafayette. Boston College In 1977, Davis became the head coach at Boston College. The Eagles compiled a 100–47 record earning two trips to the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the NIT. Stanford & Iowa He would accept a position at Stanford University before taking over as the head coach at the University of Iowa in 1986. While at Iowa, he led the Hawkeyes to nine NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances as well