The winningest coach in Tennessee Tech history with 551 total victories, David Mays took control of the Golden Eagle baseball program in 1974. He immediately won more games (22) than any Tech team had in the previous seven seasons and won the OVC Eastern Division championship in his first season, repeating two years later in the 1976 campaign.

The baseball team struggled through a difficult time beginning in 1977, when all baseball scholarships were eliminated as the University coped with the funding demands of Title IX. In his next three seasons, Mays watched his teams flounder to a 34-81 record as several top players departed.

By 1981, however, with partial funding available, Mays guided Tech to a 27-23 record. He continued to rebuild the program with renewed support, and in 1986 the Golden Eagles posted a school-record 35-17 record and won the OVC Southern Division crown.

Mays’ most successful and satisfying season leading the Tech baseball program came in 1997, when the veteran coach led his team to a then school-record 39 victories, an OVC championship, a win over Big Ten champion Ohio State in the NCAA Mideast Regional, and had numerous players earn individual honors, including OVC Player of the Year, OVC Pitcher of the Year and OVC tournament MVP.

It was during that season that Mays achieved his milestone 500^th career coaching victory and was named OVC Coach of the Year for the fifth time, adding to the awards he had earned in 1986, 1988, 1993, and 1996. He also received Tennessee Coach of the Year honors.

Under Mays’ direction, the baseball program developed several award-winners, including the Tech Man of the Year in 1993 (Ben Holt) and 1994 (Mike Kinney), and the 1997 Tech Male Athlete of the Year (Mark Maberry). Maberry was also named All-America in 1997, one of three Golden Eagles under Mays to earn that distinction, along with Mike Winchester in 1975 and Scott Baerns in 1988.

Mays also coached six all-region players, three GTE Academic All-Americans, three OVC Players of the Year, one OVC Pitcher of the Year, three OVC Scholar Athlete winners and 59 who earned all-OVC honors.

A four-year letter-winner at Carson-Newman, Mays started on the 1965 NAIA national championship team, and was captain of the squad in 1966. He prepped at Knoxville’s Carter High School from 1958 to 1962.

After completing a successful collegiate playing career, Mays was named head coach at Bearden High School in Knoxville where his teams captured two district crowns and advanced to the district finals five times. He put together a seven-year record of 113-48 and was named Knoxville Interscholastic League Coach of the Year in 1972.

Mays was inducted into the East Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997.