O.K. "Buddy" Davis

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2009

University: Louisiana Tech

Induction Year: 2009

A Ruston native, Davis has been the city’s sports authority for almost 40 years. He was named the sports editor at the Ruston Daily Leader in 1970 and has been going strong ever since. Often an award winner in the annual LSWA writing contests, Davis began as a student assistant SID at Louisiana Tech working with 2007 DSA winner Pete Dosher in the mid-1960s.

Ever since his early days when one of his first assignments was covering Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Davis has seen many of the best athletes Louisiana has had to offer. Bradshaw (nicknamed the Blond Bomber by Davis, then-Tech sports information director and future DSA winner Paul Manasseh and sportswriter Nico Van Thyn), was the NFL’s No. 1 draft choice the year Davis became The Leader’s sports editor. Davis’s feature story on Bradshaw in The Sporting News that year was the first national story on the future Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer.

A few of the stories Davis has covered in his long and continuing career include:

• the perennially powerful Ruston High School football program with two Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members, “Hoss” Garrett and “Chick” Childress, serving as head coach of the Bearcats during Davis’ tenure.
• The Lady Techsters’ basketball program since its inception in 1974, including all four of the team’s national championships — including three AIAW national women’s tournaments and 21 NCAA national women’s tournaments.
• The Grambling football program and legendary Eddie Robinson since the late 1960s, even while Davis was a full-time student at Louisiana Tech.
• And a list that includes 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 and two Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies (Bradshaw’s in 1989 and Fred Dean last summer); the induction of former Louisiana Tech basketball coach Leon Barmore into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005; and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta when Karl Malone and Venus Lacy were participants.

Davis is a voter on a number of committees, including being a member of the Heisman Trophy selection committee, Wooden Award, Football Writers Association of America All-American committee and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. He was honored with Buddy Davis Day at a 2007  Louisiana Tech home football game.