Kecia Davis has spent 35 years at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, filling six different roles across coaching, athletic training and administration since she arrived in 1991.

Cal Lutheran recognized Davis during the university's Employee Recognition & Campus Picnic in August, according to Cal Lutheran Athletics. A feature first reported by The Echo, the student newspaper, on Oct. 6 detailed the scope of her career.

Davis came to Cal Lutheran after former softball teammate Terry Roop, then the Regals' head coach, recruited her to help with the team. She was 24. Then-Director of Athletics Bob Doering offered her a full-time position as assistant athletic trainer and head women's basketball coach after that first softball season.

"Being 24 years old, I said, 'Sure, why not?'" Davis told The Echo. "So, I came over as a softball coach, and then full-time, I started as the head women's basketball coach, assistant softball coach and assistant athletic trainer."

Davis coached women's basketball in 1991–1992, served as assistant athletic trainer from 1991 to 1995, then became head athletic trainer, a role she held for 26 years through 2021. She also led the Regals softball program from 1994 to 1998, compiling a 141-59-1 record and four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships across five seasons, according to her staff profile.

In fall 2021, Davis was appointed director of health, wellness and performance at the Division III school. The role puts her in charge of athletic training, strength and conditioning, sports medicine and student-athlete wellness, including mental health and nutrition. In August 2024, she also returned as head softball coach for a second stint.

Davis earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she played softball and earned NSCA All-American honors as a junior. She holds a master's in kinesiology from Cal State Northridge.

Head athletic trainer Cody Owens, who first met Davis as an undergraduate student roughly 25 years ago, told The Echo that Davis's diagnostic instincts set her apart and that her teaching shaped his own taping and evaluation skills. Owens described Davis as family, saying she was the first person outside his relatives to hold his son and is listed as his family's emergency contact.

Kingsmen football players call Davis "Ms. Kecia," according to Owens. Senior wide receivers TeNorris Merkel and Brandon Treggs, who have dealt with two ACL tears and a torn Achilles respectively, both told The Echo that Davis prioritizes each athlete's long-term health.

Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics Elizabeth Brooks praised Davis's commitment in the August recognition. Davis, a Thousand Oaks resident, said the university feels like home.