Otho Davis
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Otho Leroy Davis was born on February 8, 1934, in Elgin, Texas. He attended South Park High in Beaumont, Texas, and later served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corp from 1954-56. During his Army service he began his athletic training career, taking care of the basketball and baseball teams at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Davis would earn a degree in physical education from Lamar University in 1957. In 1964, he received his Masters degree from Kent State, where he was the head athletic trainer from 1957-1965. From 1965 to 1971, he was the head athletic trainer at Duke University.
Davis moved to the Baltimore Colts in 1971 as an associate athletic trainer. He would serve as the head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973 to 1995.
In athletic training, Davis is best known as the first NATA Executive Director, serving from 1971 to 1990. The NATA made great progress under Davis' leadership and the NATA National Office is named in his honor.
Otho Davis received numerous awards and has several scholarships in his name. He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 1981. Davis passed away on May 2, 2000.
July 2000 NATA News article on Otho Davis.
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