Mickey Davis

Reprint from The Path to the Gold by Mary L. Littlewood 

As if it were yesterday, Mickey Davis remembers her 1984 induction into the National Softball Hall of Fame.  She remembers the pomp and ceremony, recalls vividly her flittering introduction and fondly remembers the speeches voiced by the other four inductees.  But when Mickey Davis, the six-time All-American, who eclipsed a mountain of team records during her sterling 12-year career, reminisces about her induction, she remembers people – people who helped pave her way into the hall of Fame.  “One of the first things that came to mind when I was being inducted into the Hall of Fame was the memories of all the great people I had become associated with through softball,” recalled Davis.  Her career began in 1964 with the Atlanta Tomboys and continued through 1979 in the Women’s Professional League. 

“It was difficult to stand up as a new member of the Hall of Fame and put my career in capsule form.  There were just so many people to thank and so many people I owed a debt of gratitude – coaches, teammates, my family and other players,” remembered Davis.  “I found myself going all the way back to Mr. Crawford hitting us fly balls on an uneven hill, which made it easy when it came to catching flies on a nice, level diamond.” 

As a teenage falling in love with softball in the small town of Ware Shoals, South Carolina, Mickey occasionally read about softball stars and fantasized about becoming one of them.  Then she realized her dream during a distinguished career with the Tomboys, Orlando Rebels, and the Orange Lionettes. 

Six years in a row, Davis was named an ASA All-American (1967 through 1973) and in the year 1975, she batted .375, her highest in a national championship.  In the eight national championships she participated in, she batted .231 and had a fielding percentage of .960, making only two errors.  In her first seven national championships, she had a fielding percentage of 1.000. 

When the Lionettes won the 1969 ASA national championship and the right to represent the USA in the ISF world championship in Osaka, Japan, Davis batted .375 in the world championship to lead the team in hitting.  She was a member of two national championship teams and two runners-up.  In 12 years, she compiled a .257 batting average with a fielding percentage of .966.

After her amateur career, Mickey played all four seasons the Women’s Professional Softball League was in existence.  She played for the Santa Ana Lionettes in 1976 and 1977, the Buffalo Bisons in 1978 and the New York Golden Apples in 1979.

In 1979 Mickey began her college teaching and coaching career at the Golden West Community College.  While at Golden West, she won four state softball championships and 35 of her student-athletes moved on to Division 1 programs on full athletic scholarships.  In 1984 she joined the Los Angles Olympic Committee as Youth Services Program Director and was inducted into the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame.  She continued to work in the United States Olympic movement including serving as local sports coordinator for the 1991 Olympic Festival were she recruited and trained over 200 volunteers.  In 1994 she was the site director for 1994 level I and level II Olympic trials and USA Softball Peak Camp, where trials were held to select the first U.S. Women’s Olympic Softball Team.  She continued to work with the Olympic team and threw out the first pitch at the 1996 Olympic Softball game, USA vs. Japan. 

Davis spent 16 years at Long Beach City College where she served as dean, physical education/athletics and women’s athletic director.  During her time at LBCC, the athletic teams won 23 state titles and three national championships.  LBCC was twice named to the top community college athletic program in the nation by Student Sports magazine while Davis was there. 

Davis has served as a softball clinician throughout the world, been recognized for her leadership in women's athletics, and has been honored several times in her career including being inducted into the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame (1984), the California Community College Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1994) and she was named the California Community College Women's Athletic Director of the Year (1996).  In 2005, Davis was the recipient of the CCADA Award for contributions to California Community College Athletics.

For more about Mickey, see below.