World Library  
  
Flag as Inappropriate
Email this Article

Glenn Davis (athlete)

Article Id: WHEBN0000694336
Reproduction Date:

Title: Glenn Davis (athlete)  
Author: World Heritage Encyclopedia
Language: English
Subject: 400 metres hurdles, Morgan Taylor, Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics, Michael Johnson (sprinter), List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
Collection: 1934 Births, 2009 Deaths, American Hurdlers, American Sprinters, Athletes (Track and Field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics, Athletes (Track and Field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics, Cornell Big Red Coaches, Detroit Lions Players, Former World Record Holders in Athletics (Track and Field), James E. Sullivan Award Recipients, Ohio State Buckeyes Track and Field Athletes, Ohio State University Alumni, Olympic Gold Medalists for the United States, Olympic Gold Medalists for the United States in Track and Field, Olympic Medalists in Athletics (Track and Field), Olympic Track and Field Athletes of the United States, People from Barberton, Ohio, People from Follansbee, West Virginia, Players of American Football from West Virginia, Track and Field Athletes from West Virginia
Publisher: World Heritage Encyclopedia
Publication
Date:
 

Glenn Davis (athlete)

Glenn Davis
Personal information
Full name Glenn Ashby Davis[1]
Nickname(s) Jeep
Born (1934-09-12)September 12, 1934[1]
Wellsburg, West Virginia, United States[1]
Died January 28, 2009(2009-01-28) (aged 74)[1]
Barberton, Ohio, United States[1]
Height 6 ft 0 in[1]
Weight 161 lb (73 kg)[1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Competitor for the  United States
1956 Melbourne 400 m hurdles
1960 Rome 400 m hurdles
1960 Rome 4x400 m relay
Updated on 24 June 2015.

Glenn Ashby "Jeep" Davis (September 12, 1934 – January 28, 2009)[2] was an American Olympic hurdler and sprinter who won a total of three gold medals in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic games.

Davis later played professional football with the Detroit Lions and was a teacher and coach in his adopted hometown of Barberton, Ohio for 33 years.

Contents

  • Childhood and early life 1
  • College and Olympics 2
  • Later careers 3
  • References 4

Childhood and early life

Davis was born in Wellsburg, West Virginia. When both his parents died when he was 15, he moved to Barberton, Ohio with his brother. He attended Barberton High School, and Marietta High School.

Davis singlehandedly led his team to the 1954 Class A Ohio high school track and field championship, scoring all 20 of Barberton’s points. Davis won the 220-yard dash, the broad jump and the 180-yard low hurdles – setting a then-state record in that event – while also placing fourth in the 100-yard dash. His point total placed him ahead of Mansfield, which scored 14 points in the meet and took second. He was offered more than 200 athletic scholarships for college, and chose to attend Ohio State University.[2]

College and Olympics

Davis won Olympic titles in the 400 meter hurdles at both the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and the Rome Olympics in 1960. In 1958 he was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete.

Davis is arguably the greatest all around athlete in the history of track and field and was either at or close to world records in many events including: 100 yards/meters (9.6/10.3), 200 meters (21.0), the half mile (1:52), 120 yard high hurdles (14.0), 200 meter low hurdles on curve (22.5 WR), 400 meter intermediate hurdles (49.2 WR), high jump (6-8), and long jump (24'8"). He, Felix Sanchez, Angelo Taylor and Edwin Moses are the only four hurdlers to have won the Olympic 400 meter hurdles twice. However Davis is the only man to have set world records in the quarter mile with hurdles and without. His coach Larry Snyder who also had coached Jesse Owens said that Davis was possibly a greater talent than Jesse Owens.

Davis won a third gold medal as a member of the United States 4 x 400 meter relay team in 1960. He set world records in both flat and hurdle races. He is a member of the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.[2]

Later careers

Davis was featured on the June 27, 1960 cover of Sports Illustrated.[3] After his track career, Davis played wide receiver for the Detroit Lions in 1960 and 1961.[1] He had 10 catches for 132 yards in his two NFL seasons.[2] He was the track coach at Cornell University from 1963 to 1967, coaching the team to the Ivy League title in his final season.[2][4]

Davis was a longtime resident of Barberton, Ohio, teaching and coaching there for 33 years,[5] and was the owner of Jeep's Olympic Driving School. Prior to this, Davis was a popular teacher at Barberton High School and part owner of one of the students' favorite gathering spots, Jeep and Joe's Pizza. He also loved to play the harmonica.

He was sometimes confused with Heisman Trophy-winning football player Glenn Woodward Davis (1924–2005). The two sportsmen occasionally received each other's mail, but they never met.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Glenn Davis". sports-reference.com.  
  2. ^ a b c d e "Olympic idol races into eternity".  
  3. ^ Bill Lilley (2009-01-28). "Barberton legend 'Jeep' Davis dies".  
  4. ^ a b Schudel, Matt (Jan 31, 2009). "Olympic Champion, Coach and Teacher". Washington Post. 
  5. ^  
Preceded by
Bobby Morrow 		James E. Sullivan Award winners
1958 		Succeeded by
Parry O'Brien
1914–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • 440 yd hurdles 1914–27, 1929–31, 1953–55, 1957–58, 1961–63, 1965–67, 1969–71 and 1973; 400 m hurdles otherwise.
  • The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
This article was sourced from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. World Heritage Encyclopedia content is assembled from numerous content providers, Open Access Publishing, and in compliance with The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR), Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Public Library of Science, The Encyclopedia of Life, Open Book Publishers (OBP), PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and USA.gov, which sources content from all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government publication portals (.gov, .mil, .edu). Funding for USA.gov and content contributors is made possible from the U.S. Congress, E-Government Act of 2002.
 
Crowd sourced content that is contributed to World Heritage Encyclopedia is peer reviewed and edited by our editorial staff to ensure quality scholarly research articles.
 
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. World Heritage Encyclopedia™ is a registered trademark of the World Public Library Association, a non-profit organization.
 


Copyright © World Library Foundation. All rights reserved. eBooks from Project Gutenberg are sponsored by the World Library Foundation,
a 501c(4) Member's Support Non-Profit Organization, and is NOT affiliated with any governmental agency or department.