St. Joseph High School's Athletic Director Luke Davis, who's also our school's head volleyball and baseball coach, was officially recognized today as the 2024-25 recipient of the Raymond Bright Award for High School Coach of the Year in the City of Conway.
The ceremony was held at Centennial Bank, the award's chief sponsor, and was presented to Coach Davis by Ms. Doretta Bright. She's the widow of award's namesake.
Raymond Bright was one of the most beloved and successful
coaches in Conway's history. His career began at Conway Junior High in 1949 and continued at Conway High School where he coached football and track from 1951 to 1958. He moved across town to the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) to coach track from 1959 to 1965 and then coached football from 1965 to 1971. He's a member of the Wampus Cat Hall of Fame, the UCA Sports Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Coach Davis graduated from St. Joseph High School in 2001 and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from UCA in 2006. He began his coaching career at St. Joseph High School in 2007. His coaching accomplishments in volleyball and baseball are exceptional as detailed here. When asked about how it felt to win The Bright Award he said "Coaches can't win awards like that without the players."
Volleyball: 2007-2024 (18 seasons)
Overall record: 355-137
Conference Championships: 14
Conference Champions: 7
District Championships: 11
District Champions: 7
State Tournament Appearances: 16
2 year 3A State Runner-Ups
Conference Coach of the Year: 7
AAA Allstar Coach Nominations: 7
3 time AAA AllStar Coach Selection
Baseball: 2009-2025 (17 seasons)
Overall record: 259-106
Conference Championships: 10
Conference Champions: 8
District Championships: 12
District Champions: 8
Regional Championships: 11
Regional Champions: 6
State Tournament Appearances: 14
2013 2A State Champions
2 Time State runner-ups
Conference Coach of the Year: 10
AAA Allstar Coach Nominations: 11
3 time AAA AllStar Coach Selection