Davis Has Earned Her Stripes

MSU women's basketball and volleyball
alum Vicki Davis serves as the coordinator
of women's basketball officials for the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Vicki Davis admits that officiating runs in her blood.

A 1971 graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, she owns three degrees from the school. After completing her undergraduate degree, she finished a master’s degree in 1978 that was in physical education and health, and then in 1983 she received an administration degree.

Davis’s schedule is anything, but free. Her calendar is consistent for month long periods filled with: scouting out new talent, attending NCAA clinics to relay information to coaches and officials, understanding new rules and regulations, watching and attending women’s basketball games, reviewing previous calls on games making sure they were correct and legal, and setting up meetings with coaches to discuss how the season went.

Davis first attended college the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, before transferring back closer to home to attend MSU.

She played women’s basketball for three years in Mankato, with primary position was forward center during the years of 1968-1971.

It is no surprise that her passion lies within women’s basketball.

Having been inspired by by her father, who served as a basketball official, Davis was first introduced to officiating while she was participating in practice, as the classes ran at the same time. She understood what officials were looking for and then learned the rest through listening during practice.

Her first job officiating was at a junior varsity basketball game. The coaches liked what they witnessed and then asked Davis to officiate the rest of the season.

Besides working the JV games, she also worked with volleyball and basketball at the college level. Furthermore, a great moment of her officiating career was in 1972 when she was asked to officiate the national volleyball tournament, which was held in Miami, Fla.


Davis now serves as the coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

“They (official) are both a part of basketball, to make basketball better together," she said when asked what she liked about the officiating profession, stressing the importance of her position in watching coaches and officials work together.


As a long-time official, Davis said she understood that one of the most important qualities an official can have is gaining the coaches trust. “Basketball is a game of trust and without being on the same page challenges can arise.”

She mentioned the difference from her past experiences in women’s basketball to her now future experiences as “night and day.” The major differences are more players on the court, and the name of women’s basketball as a whole being more respected.

“It has been fun to watch the game grow. Players need to appreciate what they have, as things can be taken away very quickly.”

“Hopefully kids are going to school to get a good education, and I worry about what the kids choose to participate in, as they should enjoy the ability to play basketball at a university, and not be forced to do so.”

Inducted into the Minnesota State Athletics in 1983, Davis served as the ssistant Athletic Director and Volleyball Coach at Hastings (Minn.) High School and served as the President of the Minnesota State girls high school coaches association.

A lasting piece of advice that she can give to college level athletes is “stay involved, and gives back to the sport. Attend games and volunteer to be a scorekeeper or timer for high school or college teams. Most importantly be a good fan, come to the alumna games and be a huge supporter to women’s basketball or any sport that you may have previously played in.”

                                    Liz Anderson, Minnesota State Athletic Communications intern

Ghosts on the Hardwood

With five consecutive NCAA appearances, five conference titles in the last six years and the Mavericks prepping for a men's regional championship game tomorrow night in Taylor Center, it's been a great time for those whose passions run deep for Minnesota State Basketball.

Minnesota State has a proud history with the game played on the hardwood dating back to its inception at Mankato in 1921-22 under iconic first-year coach C.P. Blakeslee.  Under Blakeslee, Mankato State Teachers College built a 123-85 record from 1921-22 to 1938-39 and in addition to capturing one Little Ten title in 1930-31, also won a Minnesota Teachers College Conference championship in 1932-33.

Head coach Jim Clark, who guided MTC for five years in the forties, had a 27-41 ledger before legendary Jim Witham came along.  Witham, who was hired after coaching at Bemidji State, built a 160-73 record in Mankato while leading his team to seven conference titles and two national tournament appearances.  His second team in 1946-47 advanced all the way to the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball championship game, where it eventually fell to Marshall by a 78-59 margin.  MSU's first basketball All-American Hank Epp was a member of this team and later on, near the end of Witham's career, other familiar names such Norm Ness, Manny Beckman, Lee Loewen, Bob Will, Hal Peper and Virg Goertzen and Duane Mettler emerged.

Bob Otto filled in for one season before one last year with Witham and then Bill Morris coached Mankato State College from 1956-57 until 1966-67. Morris guided his charges to a 134-112 mark and in addition to a pair of league titles, led the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1963-64. After Morris pulled the pin in 1965-66, Art Ollrich put together a 9-38 mark the next two seasons and Red Severson crafted a 42-61 record from 1969-70 until 1972-73.  

Lloyd "Butch" Raymond ushered in a period in which the Mavericks went 164-133 over the course of the next 11 seasons and in addition to a North Central Conference title in 1975-76, won a NIC crown in 1978-79. Raymond's 1978-79 team hosted a NAIA play-off game vs. St. John's (Minn.) in front of a huge crowd in Otto Arena. Raymond's Running Mavericks featured the dynamic back-court tandem of Gene Glynn and Curt Clark along with a player some have described as the North Central Conference's best-ever player in forward Elisha McSweeney.

Following Raymond's departure for St. Cloud State after the 1983-84 season, Dan McCarrell was brought in from North Park in Chicago and he led MSU to a 284-189 record in his 17 seasons at the helm.  McCarrell, who recruited one of the top-scoring guards in the history of the program in sweet-shooting Brian Koepnick and also brought in Mankato native Pat Coleman - an All-American and the NCC's MVP in 1996, coached the team for 16 years in Otto Arena before christening Taylor Center in 2000-01.

That leads us to the current incarnation of the program. Since the 2001-02 campaign Matt Margenthaler has built a 217-85 record and is in his tenth year with the Mavericks.  And under the former South Dakota State assistant the Mavericks can boast All-Americans such as Jamel Staten, Luke Anderson, Atila Santos and Travis Nelson.  Senior guard Jefferson Mason will undoubtedly receive All-America consideration this year, as well.

You can bet that the luminaries of the program - from Hank Epp, Butch Meyeraan, Jon Hagen, Dewey Mettler, John Schultz and Gene Glynn to Brian Koepnick, Blaine Joerger, Pat Coleman, Drew Carlson, Kory Kettner, Monte Dufault, Paris Parham, Nick Ellenberger, Jevon Budde, Luke Anderson, Chris Whitfield, Tony Thomason, Jesse Clark et al - will all be watching with pride as the Mavericks take on Ft. Lewis Tuesday in the NCAA Division II Central Region championship game on their home hardwood.

It's great to be a Maverick!