If you have spent any time around Avila’s campus or have spent any time at The Z during the fall, you have seen – or, more likely, heard – Robbie Davies Sr. A 1994 Avila graduate, Davies was a soccer player at Avila who has continued to live out most everyone’s dream as he is in the final stages of qualifying for the United States Senior Men’s National Team.

At 51, Davies still hits the pitch as often as he can, playing in completive, over-40 tournaments around the country, making a name for himself and catching the eye of people at the highest levels.

“I get an email from this gentleman who says there is this U.S. over-40 team,” said Davies. “They’re traveling the country looking for the best players. I had no idea. I thought it was a bit of a ribbing session to be honest. But he said I was well-known and he put my name forward.”

Out of a database of 500 senior players across the country, Davies was one of 50 invited to a tryout.

After a tryout with the small handful of other candidates, the team flew Davies to Las Vegas, where they whittled down the list to the top 35 players who are now participating in training camp in preparation for the Senior World Cup.

After a few practices and exhibition games, the staff will cut the final 10 players – “or they cut themselves, because injuries are a big part of it at this age,” Davies notes. – and the top 25 players will fly to Thailand for the 10-day Senior World Cup.

“I had no idea about any of this, but they found me and I am so excited about it.”

The only player from the Midwest in training camp, Davies is playing with many ex-pros with big résumés.

“Most of these guys are ex-pros or ex-Division I All-American guys. For me to go to an NAIA school in the middle of the country, I’m a rarity amongst them. I bring up Avila whenever I can.”

According to Davies, you can’t tell his family’s story without mentioning Avila.

“My claim to fame at Avila is that I was the first international scholar-athlete that they sponsored for a visa. My wife, Maria, and I both played soccer at Avila. My son, Robbie, goes to Avila and played soccer, as does by daughter, Bella, who played tennis. And my third child, Gia, will be starting at Avila in the fall, so we are as Avila of a family as you could possibly be. I’m on the alumni board, I did my graduate studies at Avila, I got an MBA at Avila, my son is getting an MBA at Avila. We are completely committed to the university. I love the place.”

With teammates who played at much bigger programs with more eyeballs on them, Davies is always promoting his Eagles – both on and off the pitch.

“We come from a small school that I love. Some guys are saying, ‘Hey remember when we played at Duke?’ and I’m saying, ‘Hey, I scored a pretty good goal against Oklahoma Wesleyan.’ I’m excited to bring Avila into it whenever I can.”

“Any time I can draw attention to it, I try to. I think it’s a great school, it’s a great place to go. I think it’s a hidden gem.”

While a student-athlete at Avila, Davies was involved in an incident that he believes put him on the track to me a standout member of the U.S. Senior Men’s National team more than 30 years later.

At 21 years old, Davies was injured in a serious car accident, shattering his leg, which ended any professional hopes he had.

After rehab and stem cell treatments to help recover from his injuries and strengthen his leg, Davies continued to play rec-league soccer throughout his 20s and 30s.

In his late-30s, Davies trained with the MASL’s Kansas City Comets, to see if he “had any juice left in the tank,” and after turning down a contract offer, he realized he could still play at a high level.

“People asked me why I do this. I do it for love of the game. I enjoy it, I’m having a great time. I missed the early part of my career because of this car accident, but my legs were still there because I hadn’t put the miles on there like some of the other guys have. In my 20s, I didn’t play much at all. This U.S. opportunity presented itself and it was almost like destiny. The front end of my career got cut short, but I’m getting the back end of my career that most people don’t get.”

Training with ex-professionals, Davies is able to hold his own and lean on his experience with local Kansas City pros.

While at Avila, Davies got a foot in the door with the newly-created MLS and a Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) franchise still in its infancy, playing on the club’s practice squad in the offseason.

Born in the United Kingdom, Davies quickly bonded with the Wizards head coach, Ron Newman, an England native.

“It was a great experience to be able to train with guys like Mo Johnston and Preki who were international players who played in World Cups. Getting to compete with them was a great experience and something I’ll never forget. It was unfortunate, the way it ended, but I still got to taste it at that level.”

Playing competitive, “old-man” soccer – according to him – Davies has a big month ahead of him. With his Avila background and a vast network of Eagle alumni supporting him, Davies surely will make his mark.

UPDATE: Check out KMBC's story on Davies from May 19 here.