Marty Davis was named the head coach of the UCSB men's tennis program in 1999 and is now entering his 14th season in the position. The Gauchos have claimed seven Big West Championship titles under the leadership of Davis, including their most recent title in 2013 when UCSB made history as the first 5th seed to win a Big West Men's Tennis title.
At the end of the 2009 season, he was awarded his fourth consecutive Coach of the Year award, his sixth overall. In the same season, he led the Gauchos to their fourth straight Big West Championship title, upsetting Irvine in the championship match.
No.1 Singles player Philip Therp picked up the Freshman of the Year award in 2007 and, under Marty's guidance, was named Big West Player of the Year in 2008. UCSB then received its second consecutive Player of the Year award as Alex Konigsfeldt took the title the following year.
Davis earned Big West Coach of the Year honors in 2006 after guiding the Gauchos to the 2006 Big West championship and an automatic bid into NCAA Tournament. He was also selected the league's Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003 after leading the Gauchos to consecutive Big West Conference titles and NCAA bids. The 2006 Gauchos finished the season with a 15-11 record and their No. 1 singles player, Nick Brotman, was named Big West Player of the Year and their No. 2 player, Bijan Hejazi, was selected Big West Freshman of the Year.
In 2002, not only did UCSB win its first league crown under Davis, but the team's top player, Carlos Palencia, was named Big West Player of the Year and was invited to play in the NCAA Tournament. In his first season at the helm of the UCSB program, he coached senior Simon Shen to an undefeated 20-0 dual match record. Shen finished the year 30-3, advancing to the NCAA Championship after being named Big West Player of the Year.
An accomplished professional player, Davis played 12 years on tour (1980-91), finishing in the top-50 in prize winnings five times. He also finished ranked among the top-100 in singles seven times and he reached a career-high singles ranking of 47th in 1985. During his time as a professional player Davis played in 35 Grand Slam events. He reached the semifinals in doubles at the Australian Open on two occasions and he reached the doubles quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the French Open. Davis posted three ATP singles championships and four ATP doubles titles. Over the years, he recorded wins over such players as Brian Gottfried, Ilie Nastase, Johan Kriek and Aaron Krickstein. Davis is the winningest professional player currently coaching college tennis.
Davis was instrumental in launching the ATP Tour in 1990 as a founding member of the board of directors. Over the years he held several positions with the ATP, including Director of Player Services, manager of the ATP Tour Headquarters Tennis Facility and Director of Licensing. Prior to his arrival in Santa Barbara, Davis was an assistant coach at Cal.
Among his other experiences in the world of tennis, Davis has provided color commentary for ESPN, USA Network and Prime Network.
Davis was a three-time NCAA All-American as a collegiate player at Cal from 1977 through 1980 and helped lead the Golden Bears to four top-ten finishes. In his senior year, Davis' Cal team won the national indoor title and finished second in the NCAA Tournament. In October of 2005, he was inducted into his alma mater's Athletics Hall of Fame. Davis graduated in 1980 with his BA in Economics.
Davis is married to his wife Jill and has two sons. His eldest son, Taylor attends UC San Diego and his youngest son, Kyle, attends UC Santa Cruz.
