Otis Davis
Encyclopedia
For the baseball player, see Otis Davis (baseball)
Otis Crandall Davis (born July 12, 1932) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics
.
Most of America's great track and field champions began their careers in high school or even earlier. But Otis Davis, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
, took a different route. Basketball
was his earliest game and he didn't take up track and the 400 m dash until age 26, as a student at the University of Oregon
. Davis ran for the legendary Bill Bowerman
. He lettered in track in 1958, 1959, and 1960.
Two years later, in 1960, was Otis Davis' year. At the Olympic Games
in Rome, he won by a hair over Germany
's Carl Kaufmann
, setting a world record
of 44.9 second
s and becoming the first man to break the heralded 45-second barrier. The photo of the finish, with (in full horizontal dive position) Kaufmann's nose ahead of Davis, but his torso behind, has been studied and discussed by track and field officials for years. Both athletes were awarded the world record time, recorded in the 10ths of a second in those days, but Davis was awarded the win. Two days later, Davis and Kaufmann met again for the 4 x 400 m relay
final. He held off the challenge, anchoring home the gold with another world record performance of 3:02.2. Again the photo of the finish of that race was made famous in Life Magazine.
A torch-bearer for the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, Davis, a former innovative teacher, coach, and counselor in the United States and abroad, is also an elected member of the University of Oregon, State of Oregon
, and New Jersey
Sports Writers' Halls of Fame. In 2004, he was elected to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame
. Otis Davis is currently president of the Tri-States Olympic Alumni Association, which he helped found.
Otis Davis (baseball)
Otis Allen Davis was a Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. Davis, whose nickname was "Scat", made just one appearance as a pinch runner.-External links:...
Otis Crandall Davis (born July 12, 1932) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
.
Most of America's great track and field champions began their careers in high school or even earlier. But Otis Davis, born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, took a different route. Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
was his earliest game and he didn't take up track and the 400 m dash until age 26, as a student at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. Davis ran for the legendary Bill Bowerman
Bill Bowerman
William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...
. He lettered in track in 1958, 1959, and 1960.
Two years later, in 1960, was Otis Davis' year. At the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Rome, he won by a hair over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Carl Kaufmann
Carl Kaufmann
Carl Kaufmann was a West German former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres....
, setting a world record
World record progression 400 metres men
The first world record in the 400 m for men was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1912...
of 44.9 second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
s and becoming the first man to break the heralded 45-second barrier. The photo of the finish, with (in full horizontal dive position) Kaufmann's nose ahead of Davis, but his torso behind, has been studied and discussed by track and field officials for years. Both athletes were awarded the world record time, recorded in the 10ths of a second in those days, but Davis was awarded the win. Two days later, Davis and Kaufmann met again for the 4 x 400 m relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
final. He held off the challenge, anchoring home the gold with another world record performance of 3:02.2. Again the photo of the finish of that race was made famous in Life Magazine.
A torch-bearer for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, Davis, a former innovative teacher, coach, and counselor in the United States and abroad, is also an elected member of the University of Oregon, State of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Sports Writers' Halls of Fame. In 2004, he was elected to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
. Otis Davis is currently president of the Tri-States Olympic Alumni Association, which he helped found.
External links
- Golden glow - An Article by Rachael Ryan
- University of Oregon Duck Record Holders http://www.goducks.com/pdf1/4205.pdf?ATCLID=30960&SPID=243&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPSID=4592