Dick Davey biography published

By Nicholas Pinkerton

Two men in their 60s make an appearance Monday evening at Double D's sports restaurant in Los Gatos for a book signing.

One of them stands tall and proud, shaking hands left and right and speaking with a smile on his face. All who gather around him try their best to carry out a two-minute conversation before he moves on to his next fan. He is Santa Clara's legendary basketball coach, Dick Davey.

The other sits at a four-person table with a steak and potato dinner. Behind thick-rimmed glasses, he is reserved, but gladly opens up for discussion about his new, self-published book, "Dick Davey: A Basketball Life Richly Led." He is Chuck Hildebrand, a friend of Davey's who felt obligated to write the legendary coach's story.

"I'd like 50 years from now for somebody to know who he was, what he did and how many people he influenced, and I was in the best position to do it," he said.

A San Jose native, Hildebrand attended Del Mar High School in San Jose and then went on to study journalism at San Jose State.

In 1979, he started writing for the Peninsula Times Tribune in Palo Alto. He covered mostly college sports, such as Stanford and Santa Clara basketball.

Hildebrand's friendship with Davey began early in their professional relationship.

"We found out we had virtually identical outlooks on the things that were important, and we just became friends," Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand also went on several recruiting trips with Davey, and soon found out how strong their relationship would become.

"A lot of times when you make friends with somebody and you get to know them really well, you see some of their warts," he said. "I've never seen a wart with Dick. Never."

The controversy surrounding Davey's departure prompted Hildebrand to write the book, though he wanted his work to focus on Davey's entire career, rather than his final season at Santa Clara.

"At that time, it was kind of a deal where, this is not what Dick deserves to be remembered for. This last month of his career should not supersede the 39-plus years before that," he said.

The book primarily chronicles Davey's work at Santa Clara from the late 1970s through his coaching career and up until his controversial resignation in 2007.

Hildebrand interviewed a number of players and coaches, including current and former players, such as Steve Nash and University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams.

"Roy Williams doesn't spend his time real freely. I think that says a lot about Dick, that he was willing to answer the phone right away," said Hildebrand.

Hildebrand received additional support from San Jose Mercury News sports columnist Mark Purdy, who covered Davey's departure from coaching last season.

"I kind of let him tell the story in terms of the sequence of events," said Hildebrand.

In 1998, Hildebrand wrote a book about Santa Clara's football program, but it took five years to finally get published.

For his most recent book, Davey's biography, Hildebrand used Amazon.com's online publishing service to publish copies based on the demands of consumers.

"You don't have ten thousand books stacked up in your garage," he said. "To me, it was definitely worth the investment."

All proceeds from the book signing, as well as the royalties from online book sales, will go to the Global Ischemia Foundation, an organization created by Davey's son Mike to provide funding for a disease called ischemia. Ischemia is a rare illness that has affected Davey's own daughter-in-law, Kathleen Davey.

Ischemia is characterized by restricted blood flow, causing an inadequate amount of blood to be delivered to the body's organs.

Blood flow to Kathleen Davey's heart was hindered by a blockage of a coronary artery, a condition called cardiac ischemia.

Her condition was unknown until 2004 when she went into cardiac arrest. She has been in a vegetative state since.

This tragic occurrence inspired Hildebrand to direct the proceeds from the sale of his book toward ischemia research.

At first, Davey was hesitant to allow Hildebrand to write the book. However, after hearing about Hildebrand's plan to support the Global Ischemia Foundation, Davey changed his mind.

"Mike (Davey's son) really wanted to do it," said Davey. "We're proud of what Chuck has done. He's a great friend."

Davey expressed his gratitude towards Hildebrand for his effort on the project.

"He's very gracious and generous to do something like that for our family, and I really appreciate it," he said.

Copies of the book can be purchased online from Amazon.com for $19.99. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will benefit the Global Ischemia Foundation.

Hildebrand hopes to continue his endeavors as both a journalist and an author, with plans for two books in the future, both of which involve Bay Area athletics.

Contact Nicholas Pinkerton at (408) 551-1918 or npinkerton@scu.edu.