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Davey Whitney

Davey Whitney (1930-2015)

Teams coached: Texas Southern Tigers, Alcorn A&M/State Braves
Texas Southern record: 57-64 (.471)
Alcorn A&M/State record: 509-292 (.635)
Overall record^: 566-356 (.614)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  6  (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1999, 2002)
  • NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  2  (1979, 1985)
  • SWAC Regular Season Champion:  10  (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2002)
  • SWAC Tournament Champion:  7  (1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1999, 2002)
  • NAIA National Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1974)   
  • NAIA Tournament Appearances:  5  (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)

Awards:

  • SWAC Coach of the Year:  3  (1999, 2000, 2002)
  • National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2010)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1996-2003 Alcorn State
1989-1994 Wichita Falls Texans (asst)
1969-1989 Alcorn A&M/State
1964-1969 Texas Southern

Davey Whitney Facts

  • David Lee Whitney, Sr.
  • Born January 8, 1930
  • Died May 10, 2015
  • Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
  • Alma Mater: Kentucky State University (BA, 1952)
  • Graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar HS (KY) then went on the Kentucky State in Frankfort
    • Lettered in basketball, baseball, football and track at KSU, graduating in 1952
    • Played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League from 1952-54
  • Spent ten years as the varsity basketball coach at Burt HS in Clarksville, TN
    • Won over 200 games and claimed the 1961 National Negro HS Basketball Championship title
  • Hired in 1964 to be the head coach at Texas Southern, a HBCU member of the SWAC
    • At that time, the SWAC was at the NAIA level
    • Whitney went 57-64 in five seasons at TSU, but only finished above .500 once
  • Left for SWAC foe Alcorn A&M (now Alcorn State) in 1969, coaching there for the next 20 years
    • Went 393-199 during what would be his first stint at Alcorn
    • Appeared in five straight NAIA Tournaments, finishing as runner-up in 1974
    • Went to the D-I NCAA Tournament four times and NIT twice after the SWAC moved up
    • Claimed six SWAC titles and won the SWAC Tournament four times
    • Fired in 1989 after three rough seasons, during which the Braves won just 18 games in total
  • Spent the next five years as an assistant with the Wichita Falls Texans of the CBA
  • Was re-hired at Alcorn State in 1996, coaching the Braves for another seven seasons (27 total)
    • In 1995, the Braves’ home arena had been renamed the Davey Whitney Complex in his honor
    • Returned to success, winning three more SWAC titles and two more SWAC Tournament
    • With a record of 509-292 at the school, Whitney retired from coaching in 2003
  • Is a member of both the College Basketball HOF (2010) and Mississippi Sports HOF (1991)
    • Second only to fellow HOFer Clarence Gaines in career wins at HBCUs
  • Passed away in 2015 at 85; survived by his wife, Bernice, five children and four grandchildren

Davey Whitney Coaching Tree

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels