O.K. "Buddy" Davis
| Orville Kince "Buddy" Davis (Louisiana sportswriter for more than 50 years) | |||
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| Born | July 26, 1946 Goliad, Texas, USA | ||
| Died | July 13, 2019 (aged 72) Ruston, Louisiana | ||
| Religion | Presbyterian | ||
Orville Kince Davis, known as O.K. "Buddy" Davis (July 26, 1946 – July 13, 2019), was a sportswriter from Ruston, Lousiana, who worked for more than five decades for The Ruston Daily Leader.
Born in Goliad in south Texas, to the late Howard C. and Mildred Lee Davis, he graduated in 1964 from Ruston High School and then Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. While still in high school, he began work as a reporter for The Ruston Daily Leader. He was named sports editor in 1970 and subsequently the executive sports editor.[1]
His reporting highlighted Lincoln Parish and area athletes, many of whom, such as Terry Bradshaw and Bert Jones, became his personal friends. Davis covered two major league All-Star games; an NBA All-Star game; an NCAA men's Final Four; a BCS national title game; 12 Super Bowls; three NCAA outdoor track championships, two Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies, the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, which were disrupted by a terrorist attack, and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.. He also served as a member of the Heisman Trophy selection committee and the Wooden Award committee. He was a member of the All-American committee of the Football Writers Association of America.[1] In 2009, Davis and Bob Griffin, a prominent Shreveport journalist, were awarded the "Distinguished Service Award" from the Louisiana Sportswriters Association at the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet in Natchitoches.[2]
Davis was also affiliated with the Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and the Ark-La-Tex Sports Hall of Fame in Shreveport. He was honored by the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame, the Football Writers Association of America and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for his years of service as a sports writer. He was the 2013 "Alumnus of the Year" of the Louisiana Tech College of Liberal Arts.He was also honored by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches in 2010 as "Mr. Louisiana Basketball." In 2016, Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker proclaimed Davis' 70th birthday as "Buddy Davis Day." He was honored in 2016 by "The Buddy Davis Story," a part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Hometown Heroes." In 2017, the media room at the rebuilt Joe Aillet Football Stadium at Louisiana Tech University was named in Davis' honor.[1]
Even after a stroke in July 2013 that left him with only partial use of his right arm and hand, Davis continued with his weekly columns and blogs. He died in Ruston in his sleep two weeks before his 73rd birthday. Services were held on July 20 at the Presbyterian Church of Ruston. Interment followed at nearby Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Davis was survived by three cousins, Jennifer Davis Betts and husband Steve of Ruston, Stephanie Davis Burman and husband Richard of Hockley, Texas, and Flo Davis Miskelley of Ruston.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 O.K. Davis obituary. Monroe News Star (July 16, 2019). Retrieved on July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Distinguished Service Award. thelswa.com. Retrieved on February 5, 2020.
