ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After a 33-year coaching career, Navy assistant Barry Davis announced his retirement on Wednesday. Davis spent the last two seasons with the Mids, which followed a decorated 25-year run as the head coach at Wisconsin.
 
"It has meant a lot to me to be at the Naval Academy," Davis said. "To be at an academy with students who want to serve their country while getting a higher education has been an honor. It's been special to work not just with the wrestling staff, but the entire athletic department."
 
"I'm going to miss being in the room with the athletes and watching them develop as wrestlers and as young men," Davis added. "I'm excited for the future of the program and the academy. This is the right time for my wife and I to spend more time with our children and family."
 
Davis joined the Navy coaching staff in 2024 and made an immediate impact upon his arrival. He helped Navy post a 12-9 record, including a 7-3 mark in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) action, along with a share of the 2024-25 EIWA regular-season title. He also mentored two-time All-American and two-time EIWA Champion Josh Koderhandt, along with two-time All-American Danny Wask.
 
"I tried to hire Barry several times when I first arrived at Navy," head coach Cary Kolat said. "Two years ago, he finally called and said he was ready to come on board. In the short time we had him, he made a tremendous impact, especially in recruiting and mentoring our athletes. Barry isn't leaving wrestling — he never will — but he's stepping away from it in a full-time capacity. We're grateful for everything he did to elevate our program and wish him the very best."
 
Prior to Navy, Davis spent 25 years as the head coach at Wisconsin, where he became the program's all-time winningest coach with a 227-167-11 record. He led the Badgers to 15 top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championship, including a fourth-place finish in 2010 that tied for the best in school history. During his tenure, he coached three national champions, 26 All-Americans, 62 NCAA qualifiers and eight Big Ten champions and was named National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2010.
 
Among his top athletes at Wisconsin was two-time NCAA champion Donny Pritzlaff, who won titles in 2000 and 2001. Pritzlaff was also a four-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion under Davis. Jeff Walter added a national title at heavyweight in 1996.
 
Davis began his coaching career at Iowa as a graduate assistant in 1986 and 1987 before serving as an assistant coach from 1988-92. During that time, he helped the Hawkeyes win three NCAA Championships and seven-consecutive Big Ten titles.
 
A highly-decorated competitor, Davis was a three-time NCAA Champion and four-time All-American at Iowa. He won national titles in 1982 (118 pounds), 1983 and 1985 (126 pounds), earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 1985 NCAA Championship. He helped Iowa capture four national team titles during his career.
 
Davis also claimed four Big Ten Championships and remains one of just 19 wrestlers in conference history to win four titles. He was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1985 and finished his collegiate career with a 162-9-1 record. He still holds school records for single-season wins (46) and career victories (162).
 
For his accomplishments, Davis was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and later named a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007.
 
Davis also excelled on the international stage. He won a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games and earned a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He added a bronze and silver medal at the 1986 and 1987 World Championships and was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.
 
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Davis was a three-time state champion at Prairie High School, compiling a 102-6-1 record. He graduated from Iowa in 1985 with a degree in general studies.
 
Davis and his wife, Andrea Davidson, have two daughters, Amanda and Amy.