Davis Shares His Wealth

Indiana Coach Mike Davis has earned $50,000 in bonuses for guiding the Hoosiers to a share of the Big Ten title and their first Final Four in 10 years.

That money, he said, will be donated to the Eastern Star Church, the congregation of 12,000 his family belongs to in Indianapolis.

“I’ve been blessed,” Davis said. “I’m going to give it to my church so they can help some kids.”

Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr. said the church operates an elementary school called the Jewel Christian Academy for 400 children, and the donation will be used to defray the cost of tuition for parents who otherwise couldn’t afford to send their children to a private church school.

Should Indiana win the national championship, Davis will earn an additional bonus of $100,000.

He says he would give a portion of that to the church as well.

“There was a guy making $100 a week and it was easy to tithe. He got a job making $1,000 a week, and he told the preacher, ‘When I was making $100 a week, I paid my church a tithe.

“Now it’s really hard for me to pay so much.’

“The preacher said, ‘Let’s pray,’ and he said, ‘God, please give him back his $100-a-week job.’”

Davis “tithes,” or donates 10%, of a four-year contract that will pay him $600,000 this year.

St. Louis Ram quarterback Kurt Warner is another sports figure who said he tithes after signing a seven-year contract worth more than $46 million in 2000.

Davis has credited Johnson, pastor of a church 50 miles away in Indianapolis, for helping him through difficult times since taking over after Bob Knight was fired before last season.

“You’ve got to deal with the pressure of the job itself,” said Johnson, a Purdue fan until he met Davis. “Then the kids talking about leaving, dealing with the president of the school, the media and all of that.

“Then the racial aspect of it, in Bloomington, Ind., first African-American coach--actually at any Division I school in Indiana, not just at IU.

“All that pressure was just coming on him and they were losing a few games he thought they should have won. Basically, when he says I helped him through that, that was when he was in worship, listening to sermons, hearing the word of God.

“I’m just grateful for a man who’s not ashamed of his faith, a man who loves God, talks about the blessings God has given. Every time he gets to the ‘mic,’ the first thing he talks about is the word of God.

“He’s somebody who loves God, loves his wife, supports his children. We need to see that in our society.”

Sunday morning, the day after winning the NCAA South Regional title, Davis was in the congregation.

“The church gave him a standing ovation,” Johnson said.