davis@jsu.edu
256-782-5679

From the time Julie Davis set foot on the Jacksonville State campus and accepted the challenge of leading the Gamecocks, she has been committed to building a soccer program that wins with dignity and honor on the field and carries itself in the same manner off the field. While still aiming to lead JSU to the Ohio Valley Conference crown, Davis’ student-athletes have already become champions in the classroom and in the community.

Following a two-year stint at Virginia Military Academy, where she started the soccer program from scratch, Davis took over as JSU head coach in June of 2005 and is entering her third season in 2007. Since that time, JSU student-athletes have earned three national academic awards. In 2006-07 alone, Christina Balint and Elizabeth Selasky garnered NSCAA All-Academic honors. At the conclusion of the 2006-07 academic year her team had posted one of the highest GPAs in the athletic department at 3.4.

On the field through Davis’ first two seasons, fans have seen drastic improvement as each season progressed. After a slow start in 2005 the Gamecocks rebounded to win eight of its last 12 games and qualify for the OVC tournament and in 2006 JSU won four of its final seven matches to tie for the final tournament berth, only to lose the tiebreaker to Morehead State. 2007 will mark Davis’ fifth season as a head coach at the Division I level and the Gamecocks looked poised to make this season her best to date.

Davis’ head coaching career began in 2003 when she took on one of the toughest challenges to face any head coach in the nation, starting the program at VMI. Davis led a limited group of 14 women to a four-win season in the school’s first season of varsity competition. The following year she led VMI into it first season of competition in the Big South and coached Colleen Redmond to All-Big South honors and led Redmond and Vanessa Berrios to Big South All-Academic honors.

“I feel that my time and experiences at VMI were the most influential of my development into maturing as a head coach,” Davis said. “VMI helped me understand the importance of honor and integrity at any level. My goal is to instill those lessons and philosophies in leading my team at Jacksonville State.”

But Davis’ coaching success hasn’t been contained to just the United States. In 2003 she was selected by the United Soccer Academy to serve as the head coach of its U17-19 team in Europe. Behind her leadership, the team posted a 7-4-1 record as the squad traveled through Sweden, Denmark and England. Davis returned to the Academy in 2004 and guided the team to a fourth place finish in the Dana Cup in Denmark as well as the quarterfinal round in the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Davis’ collegiate coaching career began shortly after graduating from Wright State in 1997. Her first Division I coaching job came at Miami (Ohio), where the program was in its first season of competition. There Davis was asked to not only help establish the women’s program from scratch, but to have a hand in coaching the men’s team as well. Davis’ also took on the title of Assistant Tournament Director for the for the Mid-American Conference Men’s Championships. In 1999 Davis moved on to serve as an assistant coach at Arkansas where she stayed through 2001 before making the move to take over at VMI.

Through the years, Davis’ has been dedicated to growing the game of soccer in the areas where she has coached and has been highly involved in the Olympic Development program. During her time at Miami (Ohio), Davis coached for both United States Soccer Region II and Ohio South. Upon moving to Arkansas, Davis remained with US Soccer as she joined the staff for Region III. In 2001 she guided the U13 Comets Soccer Club to the 2001 Arkansas State Championship and served as the state head coach for the Arkansas Development Program that evaluated, selected and trained players to represent Arkansas in the ODP. For her efforts and her success she was selected as the 2001 Female Classic Coach of the Year by the Arkansas State Soccer Association.

Since coming to JSU, Davis has continued to be an ambassador for the game of soccer in her local community. She has rejoined the staff for US Soccer Region III, has helped spark the development of the University’s men’s club team and has been active in promoting local soccer leagues.

Davis, who resides in Jacksonville, was born in Wheaton, Ill. and grew up in Flower Mound, Texas. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Recreation, Parks and Sports Leadership at VCU. She is the daughter of Sharon Davis of Denton, Texas and James Alan Davis of Carrollton, Texas. She has one brother, Brad, who is currently a master sergeant in the United States Marine Corp.

The Julie Davis File
Date Hired: June, 2005
Birthdate: Feb. 28, 1974
Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas
College: Wright State University, 1997
B.A. in Psychology

NCAA Coaching Experience
2005-Present: Jacksonville State University
Head Coach

2002-04: Virginia Military Institute
Head Coach

1999-01: University of Arkansas
Assistant Coach

1997-98: Miami (OH) University
Assistant Coach

Playing Experience
1994-97: Wright State University
Center Midfield
Four-year starter