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Story: Lisa Sollie

Two distinguished individuals, including an orthopedic surgeon and a clinical director of a local physical therapy clinic, were inducted into the University of West Alabama’s Society of the Golden Key during a ceremony at the Bell Conference Center, Thursday, Feb. 26.

E. Lyle Cain, Jr., MD, a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, and Candice Davis of Meridian, Mississippi, were added to the prestigious Golden Key roster. Induction into the Society of the Golden Key is the highest honor bestowed upon a UWA alumnus or former faculty member.

E. Lyle Cain, Jr., MD
Dr. E. Lyle Cain Jr. is an orthopedic surgeon and managing partner at Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The medical director for the University of West Alabama’s athletic training programs since 2000 and the University of Alabama since 2001, Cain has also served on the board of directors for the American Sports Medicine Institute, a non-profit research and education foundation.

Active in national orthopedic leadership, Cain is a past board member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and a current board member of the Southern Orthopaedic Association. Throughout his career, he has trained more than 250 physicians and hundreds of certified athletic trainers in the science of musculoskeletal medicine and the art of compassionate team care.

Among his many honors for service to athletes, Cain was named the 2016 Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association Hughston Sports Medicine Person of the Year, the 2021 Southeastern Conference Physician of the Year, and the 2023 Alabama Athletic Training Association Sports Medicine Person of the Year.

Candice Davis, DPT, PT
Candice Davis, DPT, PT, is in her thirteenth year with the University of West Alabama Athletic Training and Sports Medicine Center, where she serves as a clinical instructor in physical therapy and athletic training and as an adjunct professor in UWA’s athletic training program. She is currently employed as clinic director at ATI Physical Therapy in Livingston, Alabama, where she is responsible for the evaluation and treatment of patients from Livingston and the surrounding areas requiring physical therapy services. 

A 2005 graduate of the University of West Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training, Davis worked with multiple UWA athletic programs as a student, including football, cheerleading, basketball, volleyball and softball. She was also a member of the athletic training staff for the 2005 Gulf South Conference championship baseball team. 

Davis earned her doctor of physical therapy degree in 2007 from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida and began her professional career at what is now Ochsner Rush Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi.  Active in service to her alma mater, she was elected president of the UWA Alumni Association in 2016 after serving two years as vice president.

Alongside the inductees, 12 other individuals were recognized at the National Alumni Achievement Awards, which took place in conjunction with the Golden Key Induction ceremony.

Founded in 1963 by UWA faculty members, Ralph Lyon, Robert B. Gilbert, Elizabeth Hoover, Alda Mae Spieth and William Tidwell, Jr., The Society of the Golden Key, recognizes alumni and former faculty who have distinguished themselves through their achievements and the positive impact they’ve made on the University. Since its founding, 249 distinguished individuals have been inducted into the society, each leaving a legacy of achievement and service.