By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Tom Davis probably would have preferred that I not write this column because it’s about him.

Because if you know anything about Tom Davis, it never has been about him.

Hawkeye fans saw Davis’ selflessness up close during the 13 seasons in which he spent coaching the Iowa men’s basketball team from 1986-99.

Davis was a players’ coach in the sense that he invested so much emotional energy in his players, and that energy was felt on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a big way.

It also could be seen in the many tears that filled the arena as Iowa paid tribute to former Hawkeye star forward Chris Street, who was killed in an automobile accident 25 years ago this past Friday.

Davis cared deeply for all of his players, but he and Street had a special bond that was part player-and-coach, part father-and-son and part student-and-teacher.

Davis was in agony on Saturday, because as fitting as it was to honor Street’s memory, it also ripped open a deep and painful wound that never will completely heal.

Street was like family to Davis, so Street’s death midway through his junior season serves a constant reminder that life is fragile, precious and sometimes cruel beyond imagination.

Saturday’s ceremony, which occurred at halftime of Iowa’s 87-64 loss to third-ranked Purdue, was supposed to be a celebration of Street’s brief and spectacular life, and was in many ways.

But it was also a very sad and somber occasion, and that sadness was draped all over the 79-year old Davis’ face. He misses his friend and former player and would prefer to suffer in private.

It couldn’t have been easy for Davis to attend Saturday’s ceremony from an emotional standpoint. But he had to be there because it wouldn’t have been the same without him.

And deep down, Davis knew that he had to be there.

The near-sellout crowd showed their appreciation by giving Davis a rousing ovation when he was introduced, maybe the loudest of the day.

Street’s parents, Mike and Patty, were introduced shortly after Davis, and by then, the emotion inside the arena was overwhelming.

Fans showed their love for their fallen hero, but also their respect and admiration for Davis, whose leadership and compassion in the hours and days immediately after Street’s death was so crucial to the coping and healing process.

Several members of the 1992-93 team, including Kenyon Murray, have told me that Davis created the perfect environment in which to cope with the tragedy.

“I don’t think we could’ve had a better coach to help us get through that,” Murray said. “He knew when to give us space, when to give us a hug and when to encourage us to move on.

“His leadership was just incredible. I'll never forget it.”

Davis is also a sympathetic figure in some respects because of how his coaching era ended at Iowa.

He deserved better than what he got, which was the decision by then-Iowa Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby to not renew Davis’ contract.

Davis was a lame-duck coach his final season at Iowa, and he endeared himself to fans by leading Iowa to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 1999.

The fact that Iowa hasn’t been back to the Sweet 16 since then has made Davis more popular because fans now have a better appreciation for what he accomplished as a coach. Davis is Iowa's all-time winningest men's basketball coach with 269 victories for a reason.

He also handled an awkward situation during that final season at Iowa with dignity and class. Davis could’ve embraced the sympathetic-figure role during his final season, but instead, he embraced the grind.

He deflected the attention to his players because as mentioned before, it never was about Tom Davis. He and Bowlsby had their differences, but Davis never let it become a distraction for his players.

Davis is a private man who has lived much of his life in public, and much of it in Iowa City.

He lived in Des Moines for several years while rebuilding the Drake men’s basketball program, but also kept his home on the west side of Iowa City.

I’ve always admired Davis for staying in Iowa City because he didn’t allow his resentment for how he was treated by UI officials to dictate his personal life. He rose above the hard feelings and moved on with his life.

Davis is similar in many ways to Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, in that both are humble, soft-spoken and classy. Ferentz took over as the Iowa football coach the season after Davis finished as men's basketball coach in 1999.

Davis mostly keeps to himself these days, and I assume spends much of his time watching his son, Keno Davis, coach the Central Michigan men’s basketball team.

I decided to write this column after crossing paths with Tom Davis in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena parking lot this past Friday. We shook hands and shared a few words, but I could tell he was hurting.

I could tell just from the few seconds that we spent together that Davis still is haunted by Street's death 25 years later, and will be forever. 

It was almost like a part of Tom Davis died on that dreadful night in 1993 because Chris Street meant that much to him as a person.

And that says a lot about both of them.