Davis Humbled by Yet Another Honor

As Troy softball coach Melanie Davis enters her 19th season at the helm, she has amassed a list of accolades that could rival even the greatest of her peers. Over 800 career victories, a winning record every single season, eight 40-win seasons, multiple conference championships. You name it, chances are that Davis has led a team to that award or standard of success.

On Saturday Davis will add a personal accomplishment to that list as she enters the Alabama Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Hall of Fame. This will be the third hall of fame that Davis will be a member of and this is perhaps the sweetest of them all, given how the ASA opened the door for Davis to take her first steps towards a path of Trojan sports immortality.

"It's a great honor," Davis said. "Back when I was a youngster in the early era of Title IX and sports opportunities for women, the ASA was our big opportunity for playing the game."

While this honor is specifically for Davis, she acknowledged that there were numerous influences and people that had a hand in helping her become the success that she is today. One in particular that she recalled fondly was Don Atkins, whom she says taught her the game from a coaching perspective.

"He is a (ASA) Hall of Fame member himself and I was very fortunate to have him upon his retirement from the University of Alabama,” Davis said. "He actually moved down to Troy when I got the job here and he helped me really get the softball program going at the Division I level.

"He made a great impact on what I think has been a very successful 19 years of the program in Division I. I definitely want to give him credit for the role he played in teaching me the game and helping me get the program off the ground and really moving forward here at Troy University."

While Davis was floored by the honor, she has not lost sight of her roots: the team-first mentality, the family values that have fueled her coaching style, and the rest of those who she says has helped her become the epitome of success for which she is being honored.

Her father, Gene, taught her how to play the game. She threw right-handed, as he did; batted left handed, as he did. Davis talked about how her parents were the driving force behind her and her siblings' opportunities to participate in sports, citing their work ethic as a major influence.

"My parents are blue-collar workers who had to work to provide opportunities for us," Davis said. "They supported us and gave us the opportunities to participate.

"As I've gone into my adult life and they've moved into retirement they're more of my biggest fans. I personally am very blessed to have two of the best parents on the planet."

Unsurprisingly, the go-getter, blue-collar mindset flows through the Trojan softball squad from Davis. It is how her parents learned, and she is adamant about making sure that her players appreciate their talent and the chances that it affords them.

"I try to make sure that today's athletes realize how blessed they are. You know the old saying 'anything worth doing is worth doing right', they (my parents) taught me that, and we try to teach our kids to do that on the field and in the classroom."

And that is just one unique quality about Davis. Her team comes first. No matter what she may accomplish, what the team is able to do always supersedes that and without her team to battle from start to finish, her personal accomplishments wouldn't hold the same meaning.

"This accomplishment is a big personal honor, but when you play team sports, the team victories are what's most important to me," Davis said. "It's always very humbling and it makes you feel good when you're selected to these great honors. It makes you feel good when you're Coach of the Year, but there's nothing like winning a team championship, a tournament championship, a conference championship because everyone gets to fully participate in that celebration.

"I certainly don't want to minimize this accomplishment because it is tied directly to those team achievements that we made through the years so as I am honored. I've said on many occasions with the honors that have come my way that I'm just a blessed person because I've had great people work with me. I've had great athletes and great people battle on the field for me and with me."

One of those supporters is Sandy Atkins, who serves as the senior woman administrator at Troy University, a title Davis previously held before she passed the torch to Atkins. Atkins was also a prolific softball player at Troy, and Davis lauded Atkins for her friendship, her own accomplishments and impact on her life.

"As Sandy's former coach, I take great pride in the accomplishments that our former athletes achieve," Davis said. "I'm very proud of what she's done. It was a great experience to coach her on the field. She was truly one of the most talented players that I've had play for me and that's saying a lot.

"It's very rewarding as a coach when you're able to have all of these great times on the field and create these memories through a game you love but then get to sit back and watch those you were on the field with succeed out there in life and in your life here at Troy University."

Perhaps her biggest personal influence was her late brother, Todd. The Trojan softball team's home dugout is affectionately known as "Todd's House," and according to Davis, his impact on her and the program is immeasurable and can still be felt. The philosophy that she instills upon her team is directly inspired from her brother.

"The scripture that my brother's bible opened up to when my mother first took his bible after we lost him was in Ecclesiastes where the Wiseman Solomon stated, 'whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might'. For the last 10 years that philosophy has been in our dugout," Davis said.

"My brother, he was always in the shadows but he was the wind beneath my wings, and still is."

So yes, Davis is a hall of fame coach with hall of fame values and a hall of fame appreciation for those who have supported her through her illustrious career. But again, her team is her priority and Davis fully expects for them to succeed.

"We strive to be the best program we can possibly be on the field, off the field and in the classroom, that's our number one goal," Davis said. "We've always been very competitive in every conference we've been in. Now we're in the most competitive conference we've ever been in. Our goal is to be conference champion.

"We've beaten Louisiana-Lafayette and they're the team that everyone guns for in softball in the Sun Belt. I think we're right there nipping at their heels and we have a great group of young players in our program here at Troy this year and a strong senior class with five seniors. We feel like we have a good group that's poised and ready to try and get over that hump and put ourselves right up there."

Still, Davis appreciates the fans that support her team, the loving family atmosphere that she cites as more than just a slogan. That slogan is embodied and Davis is aware that she is fortunate enough to work with those who may not have much to give, but they give with all of their hearts.

"We may not have a lot of millionaires who can give us tons of money every year, but we get millionaire support in terms of our fans' loyalty in terms of the great meals they cook for us and the little things they do for us," Davis said. "That's what it's all about here at Troy.

"It's the Troy University family and that's what's kept me here. Our chancellor (Dr. Jack Hawkins) speaks of it, the athletic administration speaks of it, and our athletes past, present and future live it."

Troy University Athletics

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