Harold Davis (born January 5, 1921, in
Salinas, California
Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area lo ...
, died August 12, 2007) was an American
Track and Field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
athlete. He was a
World Record holder
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
in the
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
. In 1974, he was elected to the
USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, b ...
.
Athletic career
Nicknamed the "California Comet", he tied
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games.
Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...
world record running into a headwind at the Compton Relays on June 6, 1941, and was regarded as the fastest sprinter in the world for a four-year period. Unfortunately for Davis, this was during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
were cancelled, depriving him of an opportunity for international recognition.
During the period 1940–43, Davis never lost a race over 220 y and only one over 100 y. This last race was a loss to the only man who could be considered his equal,
Barney Ewell
Henry Norwood "Barney" Ewell (February 25, 1918 – April 4, 1996) was an American athlete, winner of one gold and two silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Born into poverty in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Ewell was one of the world's lead ...
. The loss happened in the 1941 United States 100 y championship race. Even here, after a poor start, Davis nearly caught Ewell at the finish.
[R L Quercetani & G Pallicca, "A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005", SEP Editrice Srl, 2006, p. 67.] In these years when Davis was the man to beat he won 3 United States championships at 100 m (1940,1942–43) and 4 at 200 m (1940–43).
On 6 June 1941, he equalled Jesse Owen's world record for 100 m of 10.2 s (the time was achieved in a heat, he won the final in 10.4 s). On 16 May 1942, he equalled the 100 y record of 9.4 s but this time was never accepted by the world governing body the
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
because Davis used starting blocks of a type not officially approved.
Davis also ran two wind-aided 220 y/ 200 m races in 20.2 s when the then world record was 20.3 s. The first occurred on 17 May 1941, the second in the United States championship final on 20 June 1943.
At the peak of his career Davis, the "California Comet", was famous throughout the United States not just California, with the simple fact that Davis had submitted an entry to a meet being newsworthy.
Early life
Davis was a talented runner at
Live Oak High School, just north of his birthplace in a rural town named
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainmen ...
– as a 17-year-old he ran 100 y in 9.7 s and 220 y (straight course) in 21.0 s (the then world records were 9.4 s and 20.3 s respectively by Jesse Owens).
After graduation, he went to Salinas Junior College (now
Hartnell College
Hartnell College is a public community college in Salinas, California. Established in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, Hartnell is one of 115 schools that constitute the California Community Colleges, one of the three higher education systems in ...
). Here he was coached by Hall of Fame coach
Lloyd (Bud) Winter
Lloyd C. Winter, better known as Bud (June 8, 1909 – December 6, 1985) was an American track and field coach who is regarded as one of the greatest sprint coaches in the world. Over a 29-year coaching career (1941–1970) at the then San Jose St ...
, then later at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
by Hall of Fame coach
Brutus Hamilton
Brutus Kerr Hamilton (July 19, 1900 – December 28, 1970) was an American track and field athlete, coach and athletics administrator.
Biography
Hamilton was born in Peculiar, Missouri, and grew up on a farm next door to the Harry S. Truman fam ...
.
[http://www.legacy.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=41 USATF Bio]
The depth of Davis's talent was first seen in a race he did not win. On May 7, 1940, he finished fourth in the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
100 y race championship race against some of the best sprinters of the day. He stumbled at the start but made up 4–7 m of deficit in 65 m of the race. Davis was always renowned as a poor starter but this was exceptionally poor even for him.
Davis went on to win NCAA 100 and 220-yard titles in 1942 and 1943 representing the University of California.
Later life
Davis suffered a hamstring injury in 1946 that ended his track career.
Davis died in Lakeport, California, in 2007.
[http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?14925-Hal-Davis-Wilbur-Ross-dead "Hal Davis dead", charliefrancis.com. Retrieved 17 March 2013.]
Further reading
*Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics.
*R L Quercetani & G Pallicca, "A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005", SEP Editrice Srl, 2006.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Harold
1921 births
2007 deaths
American male sprinters
World record setters in athletics (track and field)
California Golden Bears men's track and field athletes
Sportspeople from Salinas, California
Track and field athletes from California
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners