Russ Davis, three-time NAIA Coach of the Year, returns to Vanguard for his 16th season as the head coach of Vanguard's Women's Basketball program. After leading the Lions to the university's first-ever NAIA National Championship in 2008, Davis backed up his successful season by guiding his team to the program's ninth and tenth GSAC Championships in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. The Lions finished tied for fourth in the GSAC standings in 2010-2011, but are looking to bounce back this season.

Davis begins the 2011-2012 season with a career record of 393-101 and seven GSAC Coach of the Year awards under his belt, including back-to-back awards in 2009 and 2010. The Lions begin the season picked to finish third in the conference, and boast a national ranking of No. 10 in the NAIA preseason poll.

Davis' teams at VUSC have averaged more than 26 wins and less than 7 losses per season during his 15 years with the program, while becoming one of the strongest women's basketball programs within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Having hoisted one NAIA National Championship banner already, Davis and the young Lions will attempt to make another run at a National Title.

In all, Davis' teams at Vanguard have won ten GSAC titles and made 13 trips to the NAIA National Tournament. The Lions have made four final four appearances (2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008) at the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championships, finishing third the first three times before winning the National Championship in 2008. Vanguard also holds the GSAC record for the most conference victories in a single season, going undefeated (20-0) in GSAC back-to-back seasons from 2005-07.

Named the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) National NAIA Coach of the Year award in 2005 and 2009, and RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA's Coach of the Year for the West Region in 2006, Davis earned the NAIA's National Coach of Character in 2007 and added the NAIA Coach of the Year to his accolades in 2008.

Davis came to Vanguard University with a reputation of being one of the top high school coaches in California. "I have really enjoyed coaching at Vanguard University," says Davis. "The Lord brought me here and is blessing me every day."

Coach Davis has well over twenty-five years of coaching experience. He began coaching women in 1991 at Woodbridge High School after being an assistant to the men's program at Woodbridge from 1982 to 1991. After the 1991 season, Estancia High School hired Davis, and he completely revamped the Estancia program before leaving after the 1995-96 season to be an assistant coach at Vanguard. Currently, Davis also coaches the Nike Cal Swish girls' club team of Orange County, winners of the 2009 Nike National Championships, during the summer and was chosen to coach at the 2005 USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Trials in Colorado.

As a high school coach, he was the CIF, State Division II and Orange County Register Coach of the Year in 1991. In 1992 the Costa Mesa Daily Pilot honored him as Coach of the Year and twice was selected to be the head coach of the Orange County All Star game. In 25 years as a head coach at different levels and both genders, Davis begins the 2008-09 season with an overall coaching record of 598-197.

While establishing an outstanding reputation for the VU Women's Basketball Team throughout the NAIA ranks, Davis has also become a well-known figure among his coaching peers. Russ is a National Rater for the NAIA, serves as Second Vice President for the NAIA women's basketball Coaches Association, and is a member of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament Committee. He is also on the Kodak Women's Basketball All-America Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors for the WBCA. At Vanguard, Davis is a Champions of Character Instructor.

Davis is single and lives in Costa Mesa.