Buddy Davis

A severe attack of polio as a child took a heavy toll on Buddy Davis and it took seven years of continual exercise before he was able to walk properly By the time he enrolled in 1948 at Texas A&M, much of the strength had returned to his legs and by 1951 he was a good enough high jumper to rank second in the world with a best of 6-9 (2.05). In 1952 he won the AAU at 6-10½ (2.09), the second highest jump to that time, and then set a new Olympic record in taking the gold medal in Helsinki. Davis set his personal best with a world record jump of 6-11⅝ (2.12) at the 1953 AAU Championship. At 6-8½ (2.04) tall, Davis was an outstanding basketball player at Texas A&M and was much coveted by the pros. He was drafted and signed after the 1952 Olympics by the Philadelphia Warriors. He had a good pro basketball career, playing six years, backing up Wilt Chamberlain at center in his last years.

Personal Best: HJ – 2.124 (1953).