One of the most prominent athletics meeting announcers and statisticians in the United States, Scott Davis, has died from complications after apparently contracting an infection while working at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, last month. Davis, who died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, was 67. His death was confirmed by Jack Pfeifer, president of the Track & Field Writers of America.
Davis's voice filled stadiums from New York City to Los Angeles where his combination of expert athlete knowledge and a booming voice kept fans both informed and excited through competitions at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. Davis prided himself on his thorough preparation before every meet.
"You can't show up and do these things right off the top of your head," Davis said in a video interview with USA Track & Field last June at the USA Outdoor Championships where he handled the house announcing duties. "There's an awful lot of preparation which goes into these." He added: "I will never be accused of not being prepared; that's for sure."
Davis, who was the meeting director for the Mt. SAC Relays for 20 years before his retirement in 2007, had battled cancer since 1997, and had endured several rounds of chemotherapy. After his first successful battle with cancer, he would always reply, "I'm still here!" when people asked him how he was doing.
A UCLA graduate, Davis also compiled and edited the F.A.S.T. Annual, the definitive American athletics statistics source used by nearly everyone with a professional interest in American track and field. Davis co-founded F.A.S.T (Federation of American Statisticians for Track) in 1984, and had also been the general secretary of the global statistics organization, A.T.F.S.
In a statement, Track & Field Writers of America president Jack Pfeifer referred to Davis as "a genial lion of a man, with a kind word, back slap and funny story for everyone."
Davis was at home with his wife, Cheryl, when he died, according to his long-time friend, Walt Murphy, of Queens, N.Y.
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