Calvin Davis, 1972-
No. 22598 Calvin Davis
https://mstca.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/91
Dorchester
Olympian, 400m Hurdles
Calvin Davis is a 1990 graduate of Dorchester High School. Calvin’s high school coach, Charley Hays, told a story of how Calvin was invited to run in a prestigious meet at the open level at Harvard U. Calvin showed up but was unprepared to compete because he was somewhat intimidated by the collegians. After the first heat he was unimpressed by the winner’s time so he scrambled to borrow some shorts, t-shirt and a pair of spikes and he ended up running the fastest indoor 400m ever by a high school athlete in Massachusetts. At Dorchester High School he made a name for himself in both track and football. Calvin has most of the Dorchester High track records. For example, he holds the 200 record at 21.6 the 300-yard at 31.2, the 400 meter at 47.7, I personally saw him run a leadoff leg of a sprint medley where he ran the 800 meters in 1:54.8, he high jumped 6’4” and was a very good high hurdler. His coach tells me, “Calvin would do whatever event he was needed in to help the team. He also was an outstanding football player. In his senior year the Dorchester Football team played in the Super Bowl. He scored the winning touchdown that clinched the Super bowl for DHS. He was also chosen to play in the prestigious Shriners Game and caught two touchdown passes. He was heavily recruited out of high school and eventually made his way to the University of Arkansas. There he would earn All-American Status as the NCAA 400 meter champion. Calvin’s improbable story is what makes athletics great. The 400 meters was loaded with talented Americans, including Michael Johnson. His coaches persuaded him to give the 400-meter hurdles a try, which he did in the spring of 1996. Calvin improved race by race, and his crash course lead him right to the Olympic trials. The 400-meter hurdles is one of the most difficult races to master and being a virtual rookie at the event, it was felt that Calvin was a long shot to make the Olympic team. Calvin proved all his critics wrong when he made the team. In Atlanta, he seemed loose and relaxed as he easily moved through the rounds to the final. In the finals American Derrick Atkins won the gold medal, Zimbabwe’s Sam Matate the silver, but Davis was battling with veteran Sven Nylander from Sweden for the bronze. The rookie verses the veteran. Sven Nylander was desperately seeking an Olympic medal after years and years in the sport, but Calvin’s tenacity and open 400-meter speed aided him greatly as he out leaned the veteran for the bronze medal.
Class: 1990 Inducted: 2005
What is the source of the following?
Bronze Medalist
Events: 400H
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
PR: 400 45.04 (1993); 400 hurdles 47.91 (1996)
Born: April 2, 1972 in Eutan, Ala.
Current Residence: Columbia, S.C.
High School: Dorchester (Boston, Ma.) ’90
College: Wallace State CC ’92; Arkansas ’94
Coach: Curtis Frye
Agent: Ray Flynn
Club: adidas
Career Highlights: 1996 Olympic Games 400mH bronze medalist; 1993 NCAA Outdoor 400m champion;
An NCAA 400m champ indoors, Davis in 1995 was approached by Arkansas assistant coach Steve Silvey about trying the 400 hurdles – only to have Davis reject it. ‘You might run 44.5 or 44.7 in the 400 next year,’ Silvey argued. ‘How many other people are going to be doing the same thing?’ Over the winter of 1995, Davis finally decided to make the switch. He would have the opportunity to train with another of Silvey’s pupils, 1991 world champion Samuel Matete. ‘I picked up the hurdling fast,’ recalls Davis. ‘Samuel said, ‘In two-three years, you’ll probably be a good hurdler.’ So good, that Davis won bronze at the 1996 Olympics after finishing third at the Olympic Trials. He improved faster than any rookie hurdler since Edwin Moses Davis has had up-and-down success since 1996 but was on an “up” in 2001 after placing second at the 2001 US Outdoor Championships. looks to return to 1996 form under the tutelage of hurdles and 400m coaching guru Curtis Frye.
2002: 4th at USA Outdoors (49.84)1st at Walnut, Calif. (49.20)4th at Belem (49.75)best of 49.20.
2001: 2nd at USA Outdoors (48.75)4th in semifinal at World Outdoors (48.99) did not qualify for final6th at 2001 Goodwill Games (50.14)ranked #4 in U.S. by T&FNbest of 48.75.
2000: 6th at Olympic Trials (49.27)…ranked 6th in U.S. by T&FN…best of 48.92 in Atlanta.
1999: 5th, USA Champs…ranked #10 in world (#3 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 48.33.
1998: 7th, USA Champs…ranked #5 in U.S. by T&FN…best of 48.57.
1997: 7th, USA Champs…ranked #7 in U.S. by T&FN…bests of 46.14 (indoors) and 48.75.
1996: Bronze medalist at Olympic Games… 3rd, Olympic Trials…ranked #4 in world (#3 in U.S) 400 hurdles by T&FN…bests of 45.06 and 47.91.
1995: 5th, USA Indoors 400…6th, World Indoors 400…8th in semifinals USA Outdoors 400…best of 45.94.
1994: 1st, NCAA Indoors 400…4th in heats of NCAA Outdoor Champs…3rd, USA Outdoor Champs…ranked #10 in 400 by T&FN…best of 45.20.
1993: 2nd, NCAA Indoors 400…1st, NCAA Outdoor Champs 400…ranked #9 in U.S. in 400 by T&FN…best of 45.04
1992: 1st, JUCO Outdoors 400…best of 45.85.
11/12/02