Jack Owen Davis (February 19, 1933 – February 15, 2015) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played one season with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL). He was drafted by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) in the fifteenth round of the

1958 NFL Draft The 1958 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 2, 1957, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 28, 1958. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the 12th and final year in ...

. He first enrolled at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

before transferring to the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. Davis attended

Heavener High School Heavener High School is a public high school located in Heavener, Oklahoma. The school educates approximately 350 students grades 9–12. Activities include softball, marching band, choir, baseball, football, track and field, basketball, soccer, ...

Heavener, Oklahoma Heavener is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,414 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.7 percent from 3,201 at the 2000 census.

Early years

Davis played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Heavener High School Wolves. He was a three-year varsity

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

and team captain for the Wolves. He earned All-League honors his junior and senior seasons. Davis was also a four-year varsity letterman in baseball and a two-year varsity letterman in basketball.

College career

Davis first played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

from 1951 to 1952 for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

of the

. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from 1953 to 1955 where he also played football in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

. Upon his honorable discharge from the Marines, Davis was a three-year varsity letterman for the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

of the

. He was also a team captain for the Wildcats and played in the 1957 All-American All-Star game. He received his Masters of Education from the University of Arizona in 1959.

Professional career

Davis was selected by the

of the NFL with the 174th pick of the

and was released by the team before the start of the 1958 season. He played for the Tucson Rattlers of the Pacific Football Conference in 1958. He played in two games for the AFL's

in 1960.

Coaching career

Davis was

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of Page High School in 1959, finishing the season with a 9–1 record. He then had stints as head coach of Coolidge High School in

Coolidge, Arizona Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city's population is 13,218. Coolidge is home of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The monument was the first historic site to receive protect ...

in 1960,

Imperial High School Imperial Unified School District is a public school district based in Imperial County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Cont ...

Imperial, California Imperial is a city in Imperial County, California, north of El Centro. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,758. It is part of the El Centro metropolitan area. In 2016, Imperial was the fourth fastest-growing city in the sta ...

from 1961 to 1963 and Central Union High School in

El Centro, California El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban ar ...

in 1964. He won two league championship in Imperial, California. Davis then served as head coach of

Hueneme High School Hueneme High School (HHS) ( ) is a public high school in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in the southern portion of the city of Oxnard and most of Port Hueneme including part of N ...

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

from 1965 to 1973 and set a school record for wins with a 43–34–4 record. He was head coach of

Apache Junction High School Apache Junction High School is a high school in Apache Junction, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Apache Junction Unified School District. Notable alumni * Elaine Herzberg – First pedestrian killed by a self-driving car A sel ...

Apache Junction, Arizona Apache Junction is a city in Pinal and Maricopa counties in the state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,499, most of whom lived in Pinal County. It is named for the junction of the Apache Trail and Old West Highway. Th ...

from 1974 to 1975 and won a state championship. He was later head coach of

Oxnard High School Oxnard High School (OHS) is a public four-year high school serving grades 9–12 in Oxnard, California. The school is part of the Oxnard Union High School District and serves students in the western portion of the city of Oxnard, north Port Huene ...

in Oxnard, California from 1979 to 1992 and established a school record for wins with a 92–53–3 record. Davis also set a record for most years coached in the

Channel League The Channel League is a high school athletic conference in California affiliated with the CIF Southern Section. As of the 2018–19 school year, all member schools are located in Santa Barbara County, California. Schools *Dos Pueblos High School, G ...

with 21. He chosen by the

CIF Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries. Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...

and United Savings-

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

as an assistant coach in 1971 and as head coach in 1972 of the California Prep All-Stars that beat the Hawaii Prep All-Stars in the Aloha Senior Football Classic. He also coached the West team in the 1987

Ventura County Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxnar ...

All-Star game. Davis was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Personal life

Davis organized the first

booster club Booster clubs are organizations in schools at the high school and university level. The clubs are generally run and organized by the parents of the students in the supported organization in high schools, and by athletic supporters and fans at col ...

in the

Oxnard Union High School District The Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) is a union high school district in Ventura County, California. The district serves students in grades 9–12 on the Oxnard Plain, including the cities of Oxnard, California, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Cali ...

. He also helped organize the first Youth Football program in Oxnard and was facility director for the Oxnard annual

4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music) In music a fourth is an interval spanning four staff po ...

fireworks show for eight years. He received the Oxnard Union High School District superintendent Most Inspirational Employees Service Award in 1989. He went missing from his home on February 9, 2015. His body was found in a

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Jack 1933 births 2015 deaths American football guards Oklahoma Sooners football players Arizona Wildcats football players Washington Redskins players Denver Broncos (AFL) players High school football coaches in Arizona High school football coaches in California United States Marines Players of American football from Oklahoma People from Le Flore County, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Oxnard, California