CIAA To Honor Peggy Davis as the 2025 Jimmy Jenkins Legacy Award Recipient
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Following its annual fall meeting in 2024, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Board of Directors selected Mrs. Peggy Davis as the posthumous recipient of the 2025 Jimmy Jenkins Legacy Award. The award is bestowed to an individual as approved by the Board who has provided an environment that supports athletic and academic excellence through educational opportunities and community involvement; focused always on the personal growth, mental wellness and development of the student-athlete and its members.
Davis served 27 years as a part of the CIAA with Virginia State University (VSU) as a former head women’s basketball coach, dedicated associate vice-president of intercollegiate athletics and as the first female CIAA interim commissioner. She departed this life on October 16, 2024. The Jimmy Jenkins Legacy Award designation yields automatic distinction as a Hall of Fame candidate. Davis will be inducted as a member of the CIAA Hall of Fame class of 2025. The Hall of Fame Ceremony, will take place on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the Baltimore Convention Center during the 2025 CIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament.
Mrs. Davis, began her tenure with Virginia State University in 1997 as the head women’s basketball coach and in 2003 was promoted to athletic director and later associate vice president of intercollegiate athletics, leading the division for over two decades. Her career at VSU was dedicated to encouraging hard work and producing results. She oversaw numerous athletic facility improvements on the campus to include the $84 million Multipurpose Center which opened in February 2016 and renovations to Rogers Stadium, VSU’s football and track facility.
Peggy authored an amazing legacy at VSU, one defined by blazing trails and championship experiences for the student-athletes. She led with professionalism, integrity, commitment, enthusiasm and passion. Her dedication over her time of service at VSU will always be remembered for constructing a culture of excellence and success both on the fields of competition and in the classroom. She is celebrated for her efforts in building VSU athletics into the respected empire it is today. She had an internal drive to win and led the charge for VSU to claim 26 CIAA Championship titles and 20 NCAA Division II tournament appearances under her leadership. The Trojans have won the C.H. Williams All-Sports Award (men) on nine occasions and the Lauretta Taylor All-Sports Award (women) on six occasions, awards indicative of the top male and female athletic programs within the CIAA, based on championship finishes.
Davis is commended for her tireless work ethic with a purpose to create memorable experiences for student-athletes, demonstrated by countless awards and recognitions which include: the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Distinguished Service Award and being recognized by her colleagues as a seven-time CIAA Director of the Year. Peggy pushed the dual task of competing in academics and athletics. She is touted for guiding Virginia State University athletics into a well-respected program that is graduating its student-athletes while also winning championships across programs in the division.
The award is named after Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, who served as President of Livingstone College for 16 years before retiring in 2022. Dr. Jenkins is generally credited with saving Livingstone from losing its accreditation and raising the college’s net value by $15 million. Peggy Davis is the third recipient of the Jimmy Jenkins Legacy Award, after Dr. William R. Harvey, Hampton University (2023), and Hampton University, Dr. Jenkins himself, who was honored with the award and inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2022.
