Bob Davis (American football coach)
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
February 13, 1908 Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Died |
January 10, 1965 (aged 56) Fort Collins, Colorado |
| Playing career | |
| 1929 | Utah |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1947–1955 | Colorado State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 54–33–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Skyline Conference (1955) | |
| Awards | |
| 2x Skyline Conference Coach of the Year (1948, 1955) | |
Robert L. "Bob" Davis (February 13, 1908 – January 10, 1965) was the head coach of the Colorado State University college football program from 1947 to 1955. Bob Davis was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and played his collegiate football at the University of Utah under Ike Armstrong. Quarterback and team captain in 1929, Davis lead Utah to the conference championship, graduating in 1930. He coached at South Salt Lake City High School, Weber Junior College, and was an assistant coach at the University of Utah and the University of Denver before being named as the head coach of football at Colorado A & M College on January 6, 1947.
Bob Davis utilized the "T" formation and veterans returning from WW II to turn around a 2-7 Aggies team in 1946 to an 8-2 team in 1948; placing second in the Skyline Conference. Upon turning the Aggies around in 1948, Colorado A & M was invited to and played in the January 1, 1949 Raisin Bowl in Fresno, California against Occidental College. Only losing 21-20 in the last minutes of the game, Davis' 1949 team went on to a 9-1 record and placed second again. Bob Davis was a revolutionary coach utilizing classroom football along with practice and game films to help his players excel. Davis also played black athletes in a predominantly white school such as Eddie Hanna, George Jones and Alex Burl.
Several of Bob Davis' players went on to the National Football League including Dale Dodrill, Thurman "Fum" McGraw, Jim David, Don Burroughs, Jack Christiansen, Alex Burl and Gary Glick. Three of his players were All-Americans; Thurman "Fum" Mcgraw (first team 1948, 1949), Harvey Achziger (first team 1952) and Gary Glick (second team 1955). Davis' 1955 team won the Skyline Conference Championship but following the season he resigned from coaching football to concentrate on his duties as Athletic Director. (1953–1965)
Bob Davis continued as Athletic Director when Colorado A & M College became Colorado State University in 1957 and is responsible for paving the way to construct Moby Arena and Hughes Stadium during the campus' rebirth. Bob Davis died while serving as Athletic Director on January 10, 1965 from a lengthy illness.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Colorado State | 5–4–1 | 5th | ||||||
| 1948 | Colorado State | 8–3 | 2nd | L Raisin | |||||
| 1949 | Colorado State | 9–1 | 2nd | ||||||
| 1950 | Colorado State | 6–3 | 2nd | ||||||
| 1951 | Colorado State | 5–4–1 | 4th | ||||||
| 1952 | Colorado State | 6–4 | 3rd | ||||||
| 1953 | Colorado State | 4–5 | 5th | ||||||
| 1954 | Colorado State | 3–7 | 6th | ||||||
| 1955 | Colorado State | 8–2 | 1st | ||||||
| Total: | 54–33–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| †Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. | |||||||||