The Ohio Machine, Ohio’s Major League Lacrosse team, announced today that Bear Davis has been promoted to Vice President & Head Coach. As part of the promotion, Davis will join the front office on a full-time basis. In addition to his responsibilities as head coach, Davis will help expand the Machine’s ticket sales and community relations efforts.
“Bear has made a profound impact on our team and community in a relatively short time,” Machine President & General Manager John Algie said. “Allowing Bear to come home to Ohio and devote his full attention to our organization is the next step in our evolution. I’m even more optimistic for the future of the Machine and lacrosse in Ohio with Bear as a full-time member of the Machine’s front office.”
Davis, a Hilliard High School alum, joined the Machine on June 24, 2013 when he was named the second head coach in club history. In 2014, Davis has led the Machine to a 8-6 regular season record and guided the team to its first-ever playoff appearance. The Machine’s six game improvement over its 2013 record is tied for the largest single-season turnaround in Major League Lacrosse history.
“I am excited to be coming back home to Ohio to continue the momentum we’ve built this season on and off the field,” Davis said. “Ohio lacrosse has given so much to me and I am eager to return to where it all started and to contribute to the success of the Machine and the growth of the sport.”
Under Davis, the Machine posted the top-ranked offense in Major League Lacrosse in 2014. The team ended the regular season with five straight wins, which tied for the longest winning streak in MLL this season. On offense, the Machine boasted four players that scored 27 or more goals, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in the league since the 2004 season. Davis was the runner-up for the Brine Coach of the Year award this season.
Prior to joining the Machine full-time, Davis was the head boy’s lacrosse coach and associate athletic director at Archbishop Spalding High School (Md.). Davis took over at Archbishop Spalding after building the men’s lacrosse program at Robert Morris University over the span of seven seasons as the program’s first-ever head coach. Robert Morris led the NCAA in scoring offense for two straight seasons under Davis. Prior to Robert Morris, Davis helped start the Wheeling Jesuit men’s lacrosse program and guided the Cardinals to a No. 10 national ranking in 2003.
Season tickets for the Machine’s 2015 season are now on sale and range from General Admission at $92 to a Field Level Box at $2,400 and include seven regular season home games plus a 2015 MLL playoff game. Information on 2015 season tickets can be found by clicking HERE or by calling 614-754-1973.
