Justin Davis is entering his 19th season as Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Livingstone College.
This marks Davis’ second tenure at Livingstone. He first joined the institution in 2005 as the jumps coach and strength and conditioning coach for track and field, serving in that role for two seasons. He then spent two years coaching track and football at the middle and high school levels before returning to Livingstone in the fall of 2008 to lead the program.
During his collegiate coaching career, Davis has guided Livingstone’s program to significant success. Under his leadership, the Blue Bears have produced 23 NCAA Division II National Qualifiers, including Quanera Hayes, a 12-time NCAA Division II All-American, NCAA Division II National Champion in the 200 meters, and three-time NCAA Division II National Champion in the 400-meter outdoor event. Hayes also competed in two USA National Championships while at Livingstone.
Davis has coached more than 160 CIAA All-Conference athletes, over 15 Atlantic All-Region selections, two USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Athletes of the Year, and one CIAA Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. His athletes have also captured more than 20 CIAA Indoor and Outdoor Conference Championships, earned four USTFCCCA Academic All-America honors, and broken more than 55 school records.
Success under Davis has extended beyond competition. Livingstone’s track and field programs have earned five CIAA Highest Team GPA Awards and 10 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors (five men’s and five women’s teams). In recognition of his leadership, Davis has been named Livingstone College Coach of the Year twice.
When Davis assumed leadership of the program, the women’s track and field team had been absent from conference championship competition for two years, and overall program participation had fallen below 15 student-athletes. Through his commitment to rebuilding and developing the program, Livingstone Track & Field has grown to more than 80 student-athletes and reestablished itself as a competitive force within the CIAA and NCAA Division II ranks.
A 2005 graduate of Western Carolina University, Davis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Theatre Arts. As a student-athlete, he helped lead the Catamounts to the 2004 Southern Conference (SoCon) Men’s Track and Field Championship, helping establish the foundation of a conference powerhouse. Davis was a three-time All-Conference performer and conference champion in the long jump, while also earning All-Conference honors in the triple jump. A Dean’s List student, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Performer in Field Events in 2004 and served as team captain.
Davis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
A native of Salisbury, North Carolina, Davis is the son of Benjamin and Suzette Davis. He is married to the former Lakeshia Otto, and together they have one son, Nolan Sean Benjamin Davis.
