Man Found Dead Near Poteau Was Legendary Football Coach

Tuesday, February 17th 2015, 3:49 pm

By: Richard Clark

Man Found Dead Near Poteau Was Legendary Football Coach

A man found dead after the Poteau Police Department issued a silver alert was a legendary high school football coach in California.

The body of Jack Davis, 81, was found in a ravine outside the city limits of Poteau on Sunday, February 15, 2015. He had disappeared from his home in Poteau on February 9.

He was the subject of a silver alert issued by the Poteau Police Department.

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Davis coached at two different high schools in Ventura County, California for a total of 21 years, in a career there that stretched from the early 60s to the early 90s. He was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

He coached the Hueneme High School Vikings from 1965 to 1973 and established the school record for most wins, with a record of 43-34-3. After spending a few years at a school in Arizona, he then coached the Oxnard High School Yellowjackets from 1979 to 1992, where his 92 wins set a record at that school.

Davis was born on February 19, 1933 in Heavener, Oklahoma. He attended Heavener High School before heading to the University of Oklahoma on an athletic scholarship. He then became a member of the United States Marine Corps in 1953, receiving an honorable discharge in 1955.

After leaving the Marines Corps, he was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, eventually earning a Masters of Education degree in 1959. He played professional football for the Washington Redskins in 1958 and was a charter member of the Denver Broncos in 1960, according to the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.

"It's a huge loss to the community," said Oscar Hernandez, principal of Hueneme High School. "There's a lot of football in that family."

"He was a very caring man and an in-your-face coach on the field," said Rene Martinez, a former player who now works for the Oxnard school district. "He didn't like it when we made mistakes out on the field."

The Oklahoma State Medical Examiners Office is investigating the cause of Davis' death.