After five-plus seasons in a relative Hades, Mike Davis is living the high life right now.
Sure, he announced on Thursday that he’s walking away from coaching at Indiana University at the end of the season, but did you see the sweet deal he got for parting ways?
Not only does Davis get $400,000 for the next two years to not coach at a school that never really wanted him anyway, but he also gets to ride out the rest of the season pretending he cares whether or not IU wins or loses and basically finding ways to stick it to a fan base that has been sticking it to him the last six years.
Can you imagine what my columns would be like if this newspaper told me I only had to be here two more weeks and when I leave I’m gonna get a fat paycheck for the next two years?
You’d spend two weeks reading 400 words about my favorite flavor of Big League Chew and about how I do an air-fiddle dance after every winning poker hand I’m a part of.
(And please don’t say that’s what all my columns are about. I only bring up the air fiddle two times a month, three at most.)
That’s the situation Davis is in now. After nearly six seasons under the microscope, there’s absolutely no pressure on him now. Whatever he says, does or wears — he can’t get fired because he’s going away anyway. He can start Kyle Taber at power forward now and chuckle when Paul Davis swats one of his shots into the student section.
If he doesn’t feel like wearing a suit, Davis can show up on game day in Zubaz pants and flip flops if he feels like it. What will they do, fire him?
Instead of answering questions after another tough road loss, Davis can crack open a pack of Marlboro Reds and talk about how Jerry Rice really impressed him with his moves on “Dancing With the Stars.”
What if Davis opens up senior day next month by dressing up like IU’s old cleaning lady and belting out his own rendition of the school’s fight song. All the administration can do is put their hands on their hips and shake their heads — “There’s old Mike at it again.”
Forget play calling, he could be the first coach in the history of college hoops to try a version of “The Flying V,” which gained prominence in Disney’s “The Mighty Ducks” movie series. He could draw up plays on an Etch-a-Sketch and see if the players could figure it out.
Mike Davis can enjoy being himself again. A guy who spent his first six years as a college head coach trying to prove himself in a situation that he never was going to be good enough to succeed in can kick back and enjoy life — and get paid handsomely to do so.
Mike says he wants to coach again, and if that’s the case he should probably ignore any of the above suggestions and type out that résumé.
But no one would blame him if he did any of those things because now no one can blame him for anything. For the first time in a long time, Mike Davis gets to be a regular coach who’s able to do his job whatever way he wants to.
That’s all he was probably looking for in the first place.
Contact Mike Hutsell at mhutsell@news-tribune.net.
Local Sports
IU’s Davis now on easy street
Sports Commentary
- Local Sports
-
-
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL: Providence falls to Eastern in finals, 6-5
In a dramatic back-and-forth affair, a Providence comeback attempt fell just short in a 6-5 loss to Eastern in the finals of the Class 2A Providence Sectional on Saturday.
-
CLASS A BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Borden, New Wash fall at South Central
Borden and New Washington bowed out in the semifinals of the Class A South Central Sectional on Saturday. The Braves lost to the hosts, 10-2, while the Mustangs fell in five innings to Lanesville, 10-0.
-
BOYS' GOLF: Floyd A-team fourth at Lafayette Jeff
The Floyd Central varsity golf team put up a team score of 323 to place fourth at the Lafayette Jeff Invitational on Saturday. Meanwhile, Floyd Central was third and Providence seventh at the Legends of Providence Invite at Champions Pointe.
-
GIRLS' TENNIS: Boesing advances to state
Floyd Central's Olivia Boesing advances to the state finals with a win over last year's champion, but the team fell to Evansville Memorial at Jasper on Saturday, 4-1.
-
Highlanders find a way to win another close game in thrilling BNL Sectional final, 3-2
All season, the Floyd Central softball team has found ways to win close games.
On Friday night, the Highlanders won the biggest nailbiter of the 2012 season. -
COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: May 26-27, 2012
• Sean Godfrey (Ball State baseball, New Albany graduate, So.) — weekly stats: 5-for-9, three RBIs, two doubles, one run scored; top performance: 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs in the Cardinals’ 6-2 win last Saturday at Northern Illinois; notes: Godfrey was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week on Monday; season-ending stats: team-leading .328 batting average, 18 RBIs, 13 stolen bases; team records: 14-36 overall, 9-18 MAC.
-
Jeff, IU great Watson dead at 88
Former Jeffersonville and Indiana basketball standout Lou Watson died on Thursday at the age of 88.
- BOYS' GOLF ROUNDUP: Henryville downs Borden
-
TITLE DROUGHT ENDS: Pioneers win first sectional championship since 2005 with 6-4 victory over Paoli
The Providence softball team’s sectional-championship drought has finally come to an end.
-
BASEBALL: Astle strikes out 10, lifts Jeff past FC
Trent Astle struck out 10, scattered five hits, and delivered an RBI single to lead Jeffersonville to a 2-0 victory over Floyd Central Thursday night in the first round of the Class 4A Jeffersonville Baseball Sectional.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-


