Willie J. Davis, c/o 1956

A native of Fort Valley, Georgia, Chairman Davis entered Morehouse in 1952 at the age of 16. A letterman in football and track, Davis won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) title in the 100-yard dash in 1954 and 1955, which earned him acclaim as a scholar athlete. In 1954, he became known by the nickname “Flash” as he set the SIAC record for the longest run from scrimmage (94 yards) – a record that stood until 1992. He was later honored for his athletic accomplishments when he was enshrined in the SIAC Hall of Fame in 1998.

Davis tirelessly served Morehouse, first as the president of the Boston Chapter of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. He went on to become regional vice president of Region IV of the National Alumni Association, and in 1988, he was named the president of the National Alumni Association, a role that allowed him to serve as a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. He was Vice Chair of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees from 1995-2006, and Chair until 2012.

In addition to his induction into the SIAC Hall of Fame, Chairman Davis’ other honors and recognitions include three honorary degrees: the New England School of Law (1972), the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (1973), and Morehouse College (2012). He received the Medal of Distinction from Morehouse in 1999 and the Bennie Trailblazer Award in 2003.

SIAC HALL OF FAME - 1998