Aaron Davis
In 1997, 19 year old Aaron Davis stepped on the pitch for the first time at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was a quick study and played hard, scoring twice in his first A side against Duke University. In 1999 he would earn Defensive Player of the Year, only to consecutively earn the title of Most Valuable player in 2000 and in 2001. In the same year, he would earn the highly coveted and contested Tireless Verbosity award. During his tenure at UNCW he trialed and was selected to the All South team twice.
In 2005 Davis was recruited by head coach Stuart Krohn to play rugby with Santa Monica Rugby Football Club, with the promise of joining the US Maccabi team that following summer. He quickly found himself in the starting position at second row. He would remain with the club until 2017. During his time in Santa Monica, Davis would play an integral role in SMRC’s back-to-back Division 1 National Championship victories in 2005 and 2006.
In 2007, Davis was selected to join the US Falcons in the inaugural North American 4 tournament hosted in British Columbia, Canada. In 2009 he returned to Wilmington, NC to play with Cape Fear RFC, earning the Old Boys MVP in the annual July 4th 7’s tournament. Later that year, he secured a starting position with Club Champagnat in Buenos Aires, Argentina—bringing home yet another regional championship.
After a short break, Davis returned to Santa Monica RFC, captaining the team in 2013. During this era, Davis would earn numerous accolades including the Craig Sweeny Award, presented to the person who has most closely approached Craig’s standard of dedication to the team, the club, and rugby in general. Additionally, he would earn the Shawn Lipman Award, presented to the club’s most valuable forward player. His 18 years of commitment to the sport are a testament to his passion for the game and his relentless pursuit of excellence.
Maccabi USA Rugby
Aaron began his Maccabi rugby career in 2005 after being recruited by Stuart Krohn. Davis earned a Silver medal in the 2005 Maccabi Games in Israel. In the summer of 2013, Davis would be a vice captain of the US Maccabi team—returning to Israel to earn bronze in the World Maccabi Games. Continuing to contribute to the sport, Davis would try his hand at coaching for the first time in 2015. As a coach, Davis would lead a 7’s and 15’s tour to Santiago, Chile for the Pan American Maccabi Games—earning Gold and Silver respectively.