TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Larry Davis has announced that he will retire from his position as head rowing coach at The University of Alabama. Davis spent 12 seasons at the helm of the Crimson Tide after being named the program's first coach in 2006.

"I want to express my appreciation to The University of Alabama for everything it has done over the years for me and for this program and certainly want to commend all of the student-athletes who have been a part of Alabama rowing," said Davis. "I am proud of our accomplishments, and I wish the program the best in the future."

Under Davis' direction, Alabama rowing made enormous strides, beginning with the transition from a club team to an NCAA Division I competitor. In the program's first year, the Tide earned a number of top-5 finishes and dual-meet victories against established programs. Since then, numerous medals have been earned by the Tide at races such as the Head of the Charles Regatta, the Knecht Cup Regatta, the San Diego Crew Classic, the Head of the Hooch and at conference championships. In the fall of 2017, Alabama's women's club 4+ won gold by setting a course record at the Head of the Charles in Boston. The season concluded with a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Championships after competing in all five grand final races, earning a trio of bronze medals.

"We thank Coach Davis for his years of dedicated service to The University of Alabama," said Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne . "He was instrumental in building our rowing program from its inception to what it is today, and his efforts are certainly appreciated."

Individually, three rowers have been named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) All-South Region Team in Bryn Crawford (2008), Alissa Kranz (2011) and, most recently, Nicole Lane (2017). Additionally, nine student-athletes have earned all-conference honors. The Tide had 108 CRCA Scholar-Athletes under Davis' watch in addition to 125 Academic All-Big 12 selections, including a league-leading 35 this season, since joining the conference in 2015. While competing as a member of Conference USA, Alabama had nine student-athletes on the C-USA All-Academic Team while 27 earned C-USA Commissioner's Medals.

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