Iowa Hires Dr. Tom: Iowa Time Machine April 6, 1986

Iowa Time Machine ⏰:  On April 6, 1986, the University of Iowa officially announced Dr. Tom Davis as head coach of the Hawkeyes. The former all-time winningest coach at Iowa, Dr. Tom led the Hawks to two Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight appearance.

Davis grew up in Wisconsin and played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. After graduation, Davis coached high school basketball before moving to the college ranks. Davis got his first head coaching job at Lafayette College, where he led the Leopards to a 116-44 record. Davis made stops at Boston College and Stanford before taking over at the University of Iowa in 1986.

While at Iowa, Davis led the Hawkeyes to nine NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight. The Hawkeyes also made two NIT appearances. Davis amassed 271 victories while leading Iowa, the most by any coach in the program's history until Fran McCaffery surpassed the mark in 2024.

On April 2, 1998, after Iowa lost in the first round of the NIT, Davis announced that he would resign after his contract expired at the end of the following season. Athletic director Bob Bowlsby notified Davis that he would not renew the coach’s contract. In Davis's final season, Iowa advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar