by Larry EderHere are some thoughts and comments by a great friend of Scott’s, Walt Murphy…..
Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This is a tough one. Scott Davis, a man who wore many hats in track
& field, died at home on Wednesday at the age of 67. His wife
Cheryl was at his side when the end came. He had waged a valiant fight
against cancer for many years, but finally succumbed to this latest
skirmish that developed within the last month.
A long-time director of the Mt.SAC Relays, Scott was also the driving
force behind the FAST Annual, an indispensable statistical resource for
anyone serious about following the sport. But he might be best known
for his role as the public address announcer at many meets around the
U.S. and the world. His final assignment was as the English language
announcer at the recent World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada.
Before he took ill, he was scheduled to serve in the same role at the
inaugural Youth Olympic Games, which are currently taking place in
Singapore.
And Scott was also a dear friend. In addition to our mutual passion for
T&F, we also shared an interest in, among other things, pop music
from the 1950s and 1960s and a cold beer every now and then(Bass being
the brew of choice). And no one could tell a joke(especially the
raunchy kind) like Scott. Sometimes you might feel guilty about
laughing at some of his more over-the-top jokes, but his timing was
impeccable and they were, after all, funny!
When Scott and I were working with NBC on the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,
our daily routine included stopping in our hotel bar for a burger and a
couple of pints of Bass Ale. That tradition continued over the years,
so I decided last night to go to my local pub and have one more Bass in
Scott’s memory. As it turned out, the bar was phasing out Bass from its
collection of beers and they only had two bottles left–one for me and
one for my friend. Here’s to you, old buddy.
At the present time, there is no information available concerning services.
Here are some relevant links
http://www.trackandfieldnews.
http://www.iaaf.org/aboutiaaf/
USTFCCCA
http://www.ustfccca.org/
From Paul Merca (includes video interview)
http://paulmerca.blogspot.com/
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/
From Jack Pfeifer, President of the T&F Writers of America
To all TAFWA members — Scott Davis, one of the founding members of our
organization and a tireless track statistician, announcer, meet
director and promoter, died today, Wednesday afternoon, August 18, at
his home in Los Angeles. He was 67. A genial lion of a man, with a kind
word, back slap and funny story for everyone, Davis was involved in
every facet of the sport most of his life. As recently as this summer,
he announced the NCAA Championships and Prefontaine Classic in Eugene,
where he and his wife, Cheryl, had a second home, and the World Juniors
in Moncton, where he apparently contracted an infection that led to his
death. Davis had dealt with years of chemotherapy, dating to 1997, for
several virulent forms of cancer. He had been awards chairman for TAFWA
for many years. Davis was meet director of the Mt. SAC Relays for two
decades before his retirement in 2007, and was home announcer for his
beloved alma mater, UCLA. He had been secretary-general of ATFS since
1993, was a co-founder of the FAST statisticians organization, dating
to 1983, and was a dear personal friend as well.
Other Comments
I don’t know about the rest of you – but tonight I intend to sit in the
back yard, enjoy a bit of Irish whiskey over ice while toasting a
most-wonderful human being to a better place somewhere. This quiet and
mournful time will be spent enjoying thoughts of so many moments &
hours spent with Scott – always zany, joking & carrying-on, and all
the time with an ever-present joy of living, passion for the sport of
track & field and love of friends and family.
There’s a phrase from Proverbs that goes “He that is of a merry heart
hath a continual feast.” Boy, someone a long, long time ago wrote this
one about Scott. I already miss him so very much.
P. “Duffy” Mahoney
Director, High Performance Programs
USATRACK&FIELD
When the news reached all of us last night over here in Zurich there
was an immediate and stunned silence of surprise and respect. At the
end of the day those of us remaining can honor him best by loving and
enjoying the sport as much as he did.
Brooks Johnson
My reflections on Scott Davis will always center around his energy, passion,
commitment, and love for the sport and the people who run, jump, and throw. He
will be missed by his legions of friends. RIP.//vin
Vin Lananna
Associate Athletic Director, University of Oregon
I am so shocked to hear about Scott. His smile + pleasant personality
will be so missed. My thoughts are with his family but also with us as
we will miss him so much!!!
Sue Humphrey
All such fitting tributes for such a sweet and generous man. He will be missed! Now who is going to give my Bear hug?
Stephanie Hightower USATF President
