William R. Davis (December 4, 1941 – March 17, 2002) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at South Carolina State University, Savannah State University, Tennessee State University, and Johnson C. Smith University.^[1] Davis won four conference championships and made two appearances in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs at South Carolina State. Under Davis, Savannah State posted its only appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs.^[2]

Davis was the son of Lee Davis, Sr. truck driver, and Gertrude Stevens-Davis, a domestic housekeeper, and the youngest of three children. He graduated from Sims High School in 1961, where he was an exceptional athlete, lettering in all sports. He earned a four-year scholarship that same year to attend Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was coached under the leadership of Eddie McGirt; it was at Johnson C. Smith that Davis was an all CIAA standout in football.

Upon graduation from college, Davis returned to his hometown to coach at Sims High School for a year. In 1966, Davis was hired by Sandy Gilliam to coach at Maryland State College—now known as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore—where he served until 1969 to return to his alma mater Johnson C. Smith University where he worked with his college coach and mentor Eddie McGirt for four seasons. In 1973, Davis went to work alongside his childhood friend Willie Jeffries at South Carolina State College—now known as South Carolina State University—where he worked with Jefferies for six seasons until Jefferies took the post at Wichita State University in 1979. It was Davis that succeeded Jefferies to coach the Bulldogs until 1986.

On August 20, 1966 he married Amy Ozzietta Thompson ( August 30, 1941 – October 22, 2010) at Charlotte, N.C. , to that union two children were born, William Robert, Jr., and Tomeka Mamette.