Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #130 - Buddy Davis

Buddy Davis

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#39 among American Olympians

#37 among Track & Field Athletes

#29 among Male Track & Field Athletes

#23 among American Track & Field Athletes

#18 among male American Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

1952

High Jump - Gold

Total

Events - 1

Gold - 1

Walter Francis Davis was born on January 5, 1931 in Beaumont, Texas, and after contracting polio at 9 years old, was unable to walk for 3 years. He did leg-strengthening exercises to aid in his recovery, and it seems like they helped him become a great athlete as an added benefit.

He attended Texas A&M after high school, playing basketball and participating in track, and as a senior in 1952, he won the NCAA high jump title by jumping 2.03m (6'8"), then won the AAU title by jumping 2.09m (6'10.25"). He was also drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors that spring, though he held off on signing a contract to allow him to compete in the Olympics.

There were 36 competitors in the high jump event at the 1952 Olympics, and Davis was among 5 athletes who held off on jumping until the bar was set to 1.87m. Three of those cleared it on their first jump, leaving them tied for first after the qualifying round, with 25 others also qualifying for the final.

In the final, 19 athletes cleared the bar at 1.9m, but that number dropped to 7 after the bar was raised to 1.95, with Davis one of 4 to clear it on the first attempt. At 1.98m, only 4 athletes were successful, with Gosta Svensson of Sweden needing all 3 tries to advance. At 2.01m, Svensson and Jose de Conceicao of Brazil were unable to make the jump, leaving just two Americans still competing, neither of which had missed a jump yet.

Ken Wiesner, the other American, missed on all 3 of his attempts at 2.04m, while Davis was able to make it over on his second attempt, which also happened to be his height (6'8.25"), and a new Olympic record. He then attempted to clear 2.07 to increase the record, but was unsuccessful, but he had already earned the gold medal.

He continued jumping after the Olympics, setting a new world record in 1953 with a jump of 2.12m (6'11.5"), a record that would stand for over 3 years, then signed a contract to play with the Warriors. He played 5 seasons in the NBA, mostly as a backup, averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds for his career, while also winning 2 NBA Championships, with the Warriors in 1956 and the Hawks in 1958.

He is also said to be the first person to ever clear 7 feet, doing so in several exhibitions, but never in an official meet, so it was not counted. Davis lived to be 89 years old, passing away on November 17, 2020 in Port Arthur, Texas, at his home. Though he only competed in one Olympic event, he beat the majority of the field by over 9 inches and set a world record in the process, making him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.