Monarch hires Davis for 2nd stint as coach
Calvin Davis is back at the helm of the Monarch football program six years after resigning from the same position.
The Knights rehired Davis after former coach Dante Lombardi stepped down, Monarch athletic director James Klemke said.
“It was a no-brainer,” Klemke said. “The kids love him, and we’re going to be very happy with him. I’m going to be very happy working with him.”
Davis previously coached Monarch from 2012-14, leading the Knights to a 26-8 record, two playoff appearances and a district title. In 2014, Monarch went 10-2 and reached the regional semifinals.
“He’s a tireless worker, as well,” Klemke said. “He knows football. He really knows football and studies the game of football. And he’s there for the kids. He’s always been there for the kids.”
Davis stepped down from the position in 2015. In 2016, the state disciplined him for allegedly trying to pay a student to take a college admissions test for star wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Davis was also accused of asking a school security officer to make a fake ID with Ridley’s name and the other student’s picture.
In a settlement with the state, Davis neither officially admitted nor denied the allegations. He was fined $1,500 and ordered to take a class on ethics.
Klemke said he has seen Davis, who has also taught history at Monarch, mature since he was reprimanded. After the reprimand, Blanche Ely hired Davis to be its head coach, and he went
2-8 in one season with the Tigers. He has also been the head coach at now-defunct Zion Lutheran, and he has been an assistant coach at Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach and. Fort Lauderdale.
Davis has been an assistant coach at Monarch for the last three years.
“Coach Davis has definitely matured as an individual, and everybody’s due a second chance,” Klemke said. “He’s the right fit for Monarch to stay with these kids that he’s been with the last three years and take them to their potential.”
Davis takes over for Lombardi, who spent three seasons as the Knights’ head coach. He went 16-12 over three years.
Monarch went 5-1 in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, winning five games in a row before having to forfeit a Tri-County playoff semifinal due to COVID-19.
Lombardi is taking a new coaching position in Wilmington, North Carolina, Klemke said.
“He did a great job,” Klemke said. “He was somebody that was young and understood all the computer stuff. Really a 21st-century coach. Had it all. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. Actually, I gave the reference to the school system, the school that called me up there, and said, ‘If you don’t hire him right now, you’re dumb.’
“You don’t find kids like that right now anymore. That have the work ethic and want to put in the time and understand computers and understand how to deal with parents and understand how to deal with students. He’s a class act.”