Honest Abe

[quote name="mytwocents" post="1265405" timestamp="1347155451"] Ned gets a big wake up call here. Angleton by 17. [/quote]You're killing me, my friend!  ;D Ok, I'm going back to the basketball forum where I belong!  8)

[quote name="ATWILDCAT" post="1264982" timestamp="1347131766"] Actually Brazoswood didn't give up 58 and 69 points. They won last week 29-0 against Westbury. Brazoswood is supposed to be a playoff contender in 24-5A, along with Clear Springs, Clear Brook Clrear Creek. I expect a great effort from the dogs of Nederland, but the Angleton offense looked terrific last night and they cleaned up alot of the mistakes they made at Montgomery. Kids looked in better shape also. I gotta go with the Cats of course with probably the same spread as the Montgomery game 28-17. Speaking of Montgomery, sounds like they played Dawson pretty tough on the road. They closed the gap some at the end, but Dawson just had a little more last night. Got alot of respect for the Bear head coach and the entire program. They are a solid football team. [/quote]You are correct. My mistake. They did not allow 58, the website someone provided me stated differently, but I see on Maxpreps where they beat WB 29-0. My bad! 8)

[quote name="5gallonbucket" post="1264920" timestamp="1347128035"] I was referring to the weights for those that are fortunate enough to play at the next level...start your strength training after basketball season so you'll be ready by your freshman year of college [/quote]You are right sir! I could not agree more!

[quote name="thedogs1987" post="1264814" timestamp="1347121186"] Also, honest..... I would NOT put Angleton in the same category as GCM or Crosby (no disrespect to either).  Angleton is ranked in top of the state for a reason.....just a side note. [/quote]I hear ya, and I think I'll make the trip for this one. Sounds worth the 2 hour drive.

[quote name="thedogs1987" post="1264801" timestamp="1347120222"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102781.msg1264782#msg1264782 date=1347118875] [quote author=thedogs1987 link=topic=102781.msg1264757#msg1264757 date=1347117657] I will take the Dogs in this one....going against what I know of Angleton. But I am going on what I know of the Dogs. I will say this....THERE is a group of players on the Dogs that will be the Difference in this game and that is our (seldom mentioned)  OFFENSIVE LINE. Those guys will be the reason that our offense outscores Angleton. It will a high scoring game and I know that it will be tough to go into their stadium and take one....but I am going with the Dogs, rain or shine. Go Dogs! [/quote]Hey 1987-What makes you think it will be high scoring? I ask, bc I know nothing about Angleton, and you seem to follow Ned football much closer than I. If I were to make a prediction, I would guess it would be low scoring based on Ned's D. But I can see how it may be different in your mind; is it bc Ned's D creates such great field position AND they score points directly with pick 6's (BTW very impressive. Ned didn't have a single pick 6 during the 3 years I played Varsity there)? Would guess that Angleton has speed based from their team last year, but so did Crosby And GCM. Our offense is more explosive this year, no doubt, but the nay Sayers claim it's bc the field position is so favorable. If Angleton can reduce turnovers and pin Ned's O deep with a good kicking game, Big Ned MAY struggle. If not, I say Ned wins by 2 scores. Even if we are stopped, Noel will get us at least '3'. Having said that: Nederland 23 (3FGs) Angleton 13 [/quote] Agreed everyone is entitled to their opinion..... Angleton vs Bwood last night....broadcast [url=[Hidden Content]] [url=[Hidden Content] [/url] Angleton ONLY needed 13 plays to produce 6 TDs. Nederland is explosive BOTH defensively and Offensively.....Our O line is doing a great job and I Look for those guys to be difference makers this week. Field position matters AND you win the game at the line of scrimmage....I look also for the BEEF to come in on certain plays on O this week. Go Dogs! [/quote]WOW-Brazoswood gave up 58 & 69 points in their two games! :o Just read that Angleton beat Montgomery 28-18 in week one. Montgomery started the season against 2 top ranked team's. They lost to Dawson last night 28-17. I bet Montgomery is beat up this morning. With that information, I'll stick with my prediction.

[quote name="thedogs1987" post="1264757" timestamp="1347117657"] I will take the Dogs in this one....going against what I know of Angleton. But I am going on what I know of the Dogs. I will say this....THERE is a group of players on the Dogs that will be the Difference in this game and that is our (seldom mentioned)  OFFENSIVE LINE. Those guys will be the reason that our offense outscores Angleton. It will a high scoring game and I know that it will be tough to go into their stadium and take one....but I am going with the Dogs, rain or shine. Go Dogs! [/quote]Hey 1987-What makes you think it will be high scoring? I ask, bc I know nothing about Angleton, and you seem to follow Ned football much closer than I. If I were to make a prediction, I would guess it would be low scoring based on Ned's D. But I can see how it may be different in your mind; is it bc Ned's D creates such great field position AND they score points directly with pick 6's (BTW very impressive. Ned didn't have a single pick 6 during the 3 years I played Varsity there)? Would guess that Angleton has speed based from their team last year, but so did Crosby And GCM. Our offense is more explosive this year, no doubt, but the nay Sayers claim it's bc the field position is so favorable. If Angleton can reduce turnovers and pin Ned's O deep with a good kicking game, Big Ned MAY struggle. If not, I say Ned wins by 2 scores. Even if we are stopped, Noel will get us at least '3'. Having said that: Nederland 23 (3FGs) Angleton 13

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1263129" timestamp="1347050388"] Can't  wait till Central and Nederland square off. But looking at the competition out of Houston, one or more S.E.Texas area schools from 4-A may make a huge impact and make a serious drive to Austin ;) [/quote]It is setup in a way that the 1st and 2nd place team from each district can meet in the regional championship game if they both get that far. Would be great to see two 20-4A teams battling it out in Katy. Was it LaMarque (2 yeaes ago) who lost to Galveston Ball in BOTH district games, then beat Ball in the Reg Final?

[quote name="BmtTopFlight2017" post="1262730" timestamp="1347018342"] Quote me as I say this OZEN HIGH SCHOOL will win the district 20-4A. And represent this region in Austin. Central does have talent not going to dispute that but believe me when I say this the Panthers are loaded at the guard spot and they have bigs. Nederland will be force to be reckoned with mo doubt. Central as far as guards are ok their not as deep as Ozen and Nederland. But at the end of the 1.Ozen, 2.Nederland, 3.Central [/quote]That's what I like to hear! Good ole trash talking!! BD3 sings a different tune, but I believe he is not showing all of Ozen's cards, and he wants the young team inspired. That's exactly what I did with Nederland's team last year. They were young and out to prove they were as good as all the seniors who graduated the year before. I agree that it will be a 3 team race, and any of them could bring home the district/and or regional trophy.

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1262604" timestamp="1346988360"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1262213#msg1262213 date=1346968419] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=101597.msg1262200#msg1262200 date=1346967879] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1262198#msg1262198 date=1346967790] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=101597.msg1262190#msg1262190 date=1346967510] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1261343#msg1261343 date=1346882067] [quote author=Insurance Man link=topic=101597.msg1261316#msg1261316 date=1346878864] [quote author=BADSANTA link=topic=101597.msg1244555#msg1244555 date=1344883079] I think either Central or Nederland has the absolute best shot in the area. No more Houston schools for them to deal with. [/quote]Already got rooms reserved in Austin for tha Kountze Lions...gonna take it all! [/quote]Fortunately, I have a lot of friends who live all over Austin, so I will be staying with one of them when Nederland punches their ticket!  ;D Gotta be optimistic, right?  8) [/quote] Your uneasiness is coming thru my computer.  ;D [/quote]You know I'm not a big trash talker, but I'm just so bored, I thought I would spice up the board a bit. Hey, if my friend's houses fall through, maybe we can all crash AAW's hotel?    ;D [/quote]And you won't be watching Nederland 8) [/quote]And who exactly will be representing this region in Austin? [/quote]Central! They have the bigs, experience and guards to win it all. [/quote] Central has the talent no doubt. However, I believe the leadership, coaching, and the experience from the Ned players will push them further in the playoffs than the jags. The Jags lose their leader in Smith. Was he a distraction at times? Apparently yes, but he was still the player who they relied on when they needed to score.

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1262200" timestamp="1346967879"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1262198#msg1262198 date=1346967790] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=101597.msg1262190#msg1262190 date=1346967510] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1261343#msg1261343 date=1346882067] [quote author=Insurance Man link=topic=101597.msg1261316#msg1261316 date=1346878864] [quote author=BADSANTA link=topic=101597.msg1244555#msg1244555 date=1344883079] I think either Central or Nederland has the absolute best shot in the area. No more Houston schools for them to deal with. [/quote]Already got rooms reserved in Austin for tha Kountze Lions...gonna take it all! [/quote]Fortunately, I have a lot of friends who live all over Austin, so I will be staying with one of them when Nederland punches their ticket!  ;D Gotta be optimistic, right?  8) [/quote] Your uneasiness is coming thru my computer.  ;D [/quote]You know I'm not a big trash talker, but I'm just so bored, I thought I would spice up the board a bit. Hey, if my friend's houses fall through, maybe we can all crash AAW's hotel?    ;D [/quote]And you won't be watching Nederland 8) [/quote]And who exactly will be representing this region in Austin?

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1262201" timestamp="1346967965"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1262188#msg1262188 date=1346967507] [quote author=5gallonbucket link=topic=102146.msg1262177#msg1262177 date=1346967003] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1262168#msg1262168 date=1346966475] [quote author=5gallonbucket link=topic=102146.msg1262147#msg1262147 date=1346965023] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1261863#msg1261863 date=1346944409] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=102146.msg1261534#msg1261534 date=1346897000] [quote author=Baller 93 link=topic=102146.msg1261529#msg1261529 date=1346896502] Zach English- Nederland 6-2 Guard Info:Good Shooter, pretty good handles, has become more aggressive on offense by driving and finishing, all he really needs to do is get better on Defense and I believe he is D1 player. [/quote]Zach is good but don't tell him I said it. :D [/quote]BOOM! Busted [s]2[/s] [s]days[/s] 3 days in a row!  ;D Zach is a good shooting guard, and he has shown improvements with his ability to get to the hole. He's played point guard mostly over the past 2 years  because he handles the ball better than anyone else on the team. He is going to do whatever is best for the team to win. I think he is more of a 2 guard, and that's where universities will need him to play if he gets an offer at the next level. His defense and foot work need improvement, but his outside shooting is what colleges will want him to do. I admitted on a previous thread that I don't know what it takes to play D1 basketball, so I don't know if Zach has 'it'. For now, I'm sure he is focused on the present and enjoying his senior season with his friends/teammates. I thought Kelvin Smith was good enough to play at the next level, but i think colleges saw him as a 'tweener'. I also thought Prudhomme would have received offers to bigger schools too. My point is that I really don't know what it takes to be a D1 or D1AA player. [/quote] The one thing that English really needs for the next level is STRENGTH,  Hit the weights son. [/quote]I agree sir. I don't know is weight, but he needs to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle to get serious looks. However, the way college coaches emphasize strength/weights, he could add that in one off season, easily. [/quote] Yes sir  they will definitely do that they did the same to me, but i had wished i had that weight strength already.  would ve gave me a better chance of moving up on the depth chart against the already returning sophs, juniors, seniors of the college team who already have been going through strength training. as a freshman try working out (like you never have before) for 2 hours and then go straight to the gym to shoot when your arms are like noodles, those sophs juniors seniors will already know about this. [/quote] Good points. Hopefully he (and others) read this and take action before it's too late. [/quote]Too late. Practice starts in ??? weeks. Those puny arms at Nederland won't hold up. Ask HJ!!! [/quote]It won't matter for HS. Not that many big physical kids at this level. Anyway, we have 3 big football kids joining the team in Nov/Dec. to bruise it up for district/playoffs. I was suggesting that HS kids in general hit the weights after the season to prepare for the next level.

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1262190" timestamp="1346967510"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=101597.msg1261343#msg1261343 date=1346882067] [quote author=Insurance Man link=topic=101597.msg1261316#msg1261316 date=1346878864] [quote author=BADSANTA link=topic=101597.msg1244555#msg1244555 date=1344883079] I think either Central or Nederland has the absolute best shot in the area. No more Houston schools for them to deal with. [/quote]Already got rooms reserved in Austin for tha Kountze Lions...gonna take it all! [/quote]Fortunately, I have a lot of friends who live all over Austin, so I will be staying with one of them when Nederland punches their ticket!  ;D Gotta be optimistic, right?  8) [/quote] Your uneasiness is coming thru my computer.  ;D [/quote]You know I'm not a big trash talker, but I'm just so bored, I thought I would spice up the board a bit. Hey, if my friend's houses fall through, maybe we can all crash AAW's hotel?    ;D

[quote name="5gallonbucket" post="1262177" timestamp="1346967003"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1262168#msg1262168 date=1346966475] [quote author=5gallonbucket link=topic=102146.msg1262147#msg1262147 date=1346965023] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1261863#msg1261863 date=1346944409] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=102146.msg1261534#msg1261534 date=1346897000] [quote author=Baller 93 link=topic=102146.msg1261529#msg1261529 date=1346896502] Zach English- Nederland 6-2 Guard Info:Good Shooter, pretty good handles, has become more aggressive on offense by driving and finishing, all he really needs to do is get better on Defense and I believe he is D1 player. [/quote]Zach is good but don't tell him I said it. :D [/quote]BOOM! Busted [s]2[/s] [s]days[/s] 3 days in a row!  ;D Zach is a good shooting guard, and he has shown improvements with his ability to get to the hole. He's played point guard mostly over the past 2 years  because he handles the ball better than anyone else on the team. He is going to do whatever is best for the team to win. I think he is more of a 2 guard, and that's where universities will need him to play if he gets an offer at the next level. His defense and foot work need improvement, but his outside shooting is what colleges will want him to do. I admitted on a previous thread that I don't know what it takes to play D1 basketball, so I don't know if Zach has 'it'. For now, I'm sure he is focused on the present and enjoying his senior season with his friends/teammates. I thought Kelvin Smith was good enough to play at the next level, but i think colleges saw him as a 'tweener'. I also thought Prudhomme would have received offers to bigger schools too. My point is that I really don't know what it takes to be a D1 or D1AA player. [/quote] The one thing that English really needs for the next level is STRENGTH,  Hit the weights son. [/quote]I agree sir. I don't know is weight, but he needs to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle to get serious looks. However, the way college coaches emphasize strength/weights, he could add that in one off season, easily. [/quote] Yes sir  they will definitely do that they did the same to me, but i had wished i had that weight strength already.  would ve gave me a better chance of moving up on the depth chart against the already returning sophs, juniors, seniors of the college team who already have been going through strength training. as a freshman try working out (like you never have before) for 2 hours and then go straight to the gym to shoot when your arms are like noodles, those sophs juniors seniors will already know about this. [/quote] Good points. Hopefully he (and others) read this and take action before it's too late.

[quote name="5gallonbucket" post="1262171" timestamp="1346966586"] Kountze......  Central has another year before they make it.  Nederland though fundamentally sound[b] i believe there best shot was last year and thats past.  [/b] I forsee Dallas Kimball winning it again...they only lost 3 seniors [/quote]How do you figure that? They only lost one player from last year (Lubera). In addition, Yates, Jones, and LaMarque are all 3A now. If they are going to make a trip to Austin, this should be their year. I agree with Central, they should be a good shot the following year. After that, apparently, Yates is moving back up to 4A. Only time will tell of course, but that is what 'those who know' say!  8)

[quote name="5gallonbucket" post="1262147" timestamp="1346965023"] [quote author=Honest Abe link=topic=102146.msg1261863#msg1261863 date=1346944409] [quote author=BLUEDOVE3 link=topic=102146.msg1261534#msg1261534 date=1346897000] [quote author=Baller 93 link=topic=102146.msg1261529#msg1261529 date=1346896502] Zach English- Nederland 6-2 Guard Info:Good Shooter, pretty good handles, has become more aggressive on offense by driving and finishing, all he really needs to do is get better on Defense and I believe he is D1 player. [/quote]Zach is good but don't tell him I said it. :D [/quote]BOOM! Busted [s]2[/s] [s]days[/s] 3 days in a row!  ;D Zach is a good shooting guard, and he has shown improvements with his ability to get to the hole. He's played point guard mostly over the past 2 years  because he handles the ball better than anyone else on the team. He is going to do whatever is best for the team to win. I think he is more of a 2 guard, and that's where universities will need him to play if he gets an offer at the next level. His defense and foot work need improvement, but his outside shooting is what colleges will want him to do. I admitted on a previous thread that I don't know what it takes to play D1 basketball, so I don't know if Zach has 'it'. For now, I'm sure he is focused on the present and enjoying his senior season with his friends/teammates. I thought Kelvin Smith was good enough to play at the next level, but i think colleges saw him as a 'tweener'. I also thought Prudhomme would have received offers to bigger schools too. My point is that I really don't know what it takes to be a D1 or D1AA player. [/quote] The one thing that English really needs for the next level is STRENGTH,  Hit the weights son. [/quote]I agree sir. I don't know is weight, but he needs to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle to get serious looks. However, the way college coaches emphasize strength/weights, he could add that in one off season, easily.

[quote name="BLUEDOVE3" post="1261534" timestamp="1346897000"] [quote author=Baller 93 link=topic=102146.msg1261529#msg1261529 date=1346896502] Zach English- Nederland 6-2 Guard Info:Good Shooter, pretty good handles, has become more aggressive on offense by driving and finishing, all he really needs to do is get better on Defense and I believe he is D1 player. [/quote]Zach is good but don't tell him I said it. :D [/quote]BOOM! Busted [s]2[/s] [s]days[/s] 3 days in a row!  ;D Zach is a good shooting guard, and he has shown improvements with his ability to get to the hole. He's played point guard mostly over the past 2 years  because he handles the ball better than anyone else on the team. He is going to do whatever is best for the team to win. I think he is more of a 2 guard, and that's where universities will need him to play if he gets an offer at the next level. His defense and foot work need improvement, but his outside shooting is what colleges will want him to do. I admitted on a previous thread that I don't know what it takes to play D1 basketball, so I don't know if Zach has 'it'. For now, I'm sure he is focused on the present and enjoying his senior season with his friends/teammates. I thought Kelvin Smith was good enough to play at the next level, but i think colleges saw him as a 'tweener'. I also thought Prudhomme would have received offers to bigger schools too. My point is that I really don't know what it takes to be a D1 or D1AA player.

[quote name="Insurance Man" post="1261316" timestamp="1346878864"] [quote author=BADSANTA link=topic=101597.msg1244555#msg1244555 date=1344883079] I think either Central or Nederland has the absolute best shot in the area. No more Houston schools for them to deal with. [/quote]Already got rooms reserved in Austin for tha Kountze Lions...gonna take it all! [/quote]Fortunately, I have a lot of friends who live all over Austin, so I will be staying with one of them when Nederland punches their ticket!  ;D Gotta be optimistic, right?  8)

[quote name="Stevenash" post="1261207" timestamp="1346870661"] Should we both erase our statements so nobody will know? [/quote]Too late...BUSTED! Both of you!!  8) How much longer until basketball starts???????????

[quote name="85' HUSKER" post="1261115" timestamp="1346865561"] Washington will be used at TE when we need him. Barrow likes to hold his hand and pull out a surprise. [/quote]Thanks!

[b]Beaumont Central[/b]/Beaumont West Brook Beaumont Ozen/[b]Port Arthur Memorial[/b] [b]Dayton[/b]/Livingston Lumberton/[b]Barbers Hill[/b] Goose Creek Memorial/[b]Nederland[/b] Little Cypress-Mauriceville/[b]Silsbee[/b] [b]Vidor[/b]/Bridge City [b]West Orange-Stark[/b]/Port Neches-Groves [b]Anahuac[/b]/Hamshire-Fannett [b]Splendora[/b]/Hardin-Jefferson Buna/[b]Kirbyville[/b] Coldspring-Oakhurst/[b]Navasota[/b] Diboll/[b]Corrigan-Camden[/b] Hardin/[b]Tarkington[/b] [b]Newton[/b]/Liberty Orangefield/[b]Jasper[/b] [b]Woodville[/b]/Shepherd [b]Deweyville[/b]/Evadale [b]Kountze[/b]/Hull-Daisetta [b]West Sabine[/b]/Hemphill Colmesneil/[b]Burkeville[/b] [b]West Hardin[/b]/Sabine Pass Willis/[b]Crosby[/b] Alvin Living Stone/[b]High Island[/b] [b]Huntsville Alpha Omega[/b]/Chester [/quote]

I remember Washington on offense last year, and he did a good job at TE. Is he not playing offense this year? Why not have him play both ways? If not, who took his place?

[quote name="indianforever" post="1261043" timestamp="1346861893"] From watching the video I have to say crosbys o-line made nederlands defense look really good...probably better than what they really are...jmho [/quote] I don't think anyone knows just yet. Maybe Crosby's o-line IS that bad? Maybe Ned's D-Line IS that good? Maybe both? I'm an offensive guy, and even I enjoyed watching the Ned defense play Friday night. It was impressive, no doubt. They were good last year, so one would expect them to be that much better this year. I still think it's waaaay too early to tell, but it's fun reading all the trash talk from all sides!  ;)

[quote name="PaBees" post="1260231" timestamp="1346776161"] He plays hard and he's crafty and he's physical.  That's why he's the area's best basketball player.  And I never said it is easy to stop him, but it is simple.  Defense, especially post defense, is somewhat lost in this area.  Now the real question is does anyone know how to stop his dad? [/quote]

Barbers Hill

Hmmm? That's strange. Here's another article on him, but not as detailed as the other one: [Hidden Content] I'll post the 1st one again, maybe it works this time: Gold medalist Walter ‘Buddy’ Davis Submitted by Brenda Cannon Henley on August 20, 2012 - 2:10pm From Nederland, Texas, to the world’s stage   Tall and strong Walter “Buddy” Davis might look just like any other Texas cattle rancher, but he is so much more. He’s a gold-medal winning Olympian, one of only two Aggies to be named an All-American in two sports, was a basketball player on not one but two NBA championship teams, is a world record holder and — perhaps most important — he’s the father of seven daughters and two sons. Oh, and he overcame crippling polio when he was a 9-year-old elementary student in Nederland. Buddy had the distinction of standing on the center podium in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland, after winning the high jump event, and he still has the gold medal to prove it. “I remember standing on that podium,” said Buddy recently in his Lufkin home, “and watching the American flag go up the pole. When the first notes of our national anthem sounded across the stadium, I got a chill like you wouldn’t believe.” Until the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the XV Olympiad was famous for featuring the most world records broken. A total of 69 nations participated in these games, up from 59 in the 1948 games. Thirteen nations made their first Olympic appearance in 1952, and there were about 100 participants in the American delegation including two that took home the gold and silver medals in the high jump. But how did a boy from Nederland, Texas, get to Finland and the world’s biggest athletic stage? Born to A.J. and Mary Therease Davis in Nederland, Buddy attended public school. His dad worked for Pure Oil Company for some 44 years. His mom was a registered nurse. When Buddy was 9 years old, he contracted the dreaded polio disease and his home was put under quarantine,  forcing his two sisters and one brother to live with an aunt for a number of months. Buddy’s mom was determined that her son would live as normal a life as possible, so she put to use all of her nursing talent. Mary read everything she could get her hands on about the disease and organized deep warm baths for her son’s legs and then spent hours massaging the muscles and helping them to retain their strength. After 18 months, Buddy had regained the use of his legs and was able to walk and run again. Buddy continued to grow and soon fell in love with his next-door neighbor in Nederland, Margaret Tynan. Buddy graduated from Nederland High School in 1948 and went on to Texas A&M University where he played basketball, becoming the highest scorer in the state. In his junior year, Buddy got the idea he might like to try baseball. His basketball coach was also the baseball coach and allowed him to pitch relief for three good innings. The young athlete was pretty proud of himself when he struck out eight men. “Look, Buddy, I’ve got four good pitchers and one basketball center. Get over to the gym and do your calisthenics,” the coach said, bringing to an end his baseball career. On the way to the gym, he happened to see the track and field practice on Kyle Field. He watched as one athlete cleared the bar with the old scissors technique. On a spur-of-the-moment decision, Buddy decided to give the high jump a try with his baseball mitt in his hand. He cleared the bar and went on to win the Texas Relays that year with a 6-feet, 9-inch jump. The coach decided to take him on to other track and field events. Buddy became an All-American in track and basketball, one of just two Aggies to ever win that designation in two sports. By the time Buddy was a senior in 1952, he was married to Margaret, had started a family, and had captured the NCAA and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles in the high jump and received an invitation to the Olympic trials. He had also broken the high jump world record and the 7-feet barrier in May 1952. “I went from obscurity to a world record with one jump,” said Buddy humbly. “Think about it. Nederland did not even have a track when I was there in high school, and here I am being invited to the Olympic trials.” Buddy describes the trials for the Olympics in Helsinki as a whirlwind. “It certainly was not then what it is now,” he laughed. “We did not have sponsors, coordinators and a core of press people.” He said he made the Olympic team on a Saturday in Los Angeles, and the next day he flew to New York to get his passport and uniform. The athletes stayed at Princeton University in New Jersey for the week. Margaret was home waiting on the birth of a child and did not get to accompany her husband to this important event. Her parents, however, did get to see him in Los Angeles where they were visiting relatives. Buddy remembered clearly that he had a quarter in his pocket when he left Los Angeles, and when he left New York for Finland, that had been reduced to a dime. “We didn’t need anything, really,” he said. “The committee saw that we had food and our clothing, but looking back now, can you imagine traveling without money in your pocket?” The games opened July 19, 1952, and the high jump was on the first day of competition, July 20. He said that the temperature was in the 60s, and he remembers it being a rainy kind of day. He and his teammate, Ken Wiesner, were both “straddlers,” referring to the technique that replaced “scissors.” There were 28 competitors in all, and Buddy took the gold with a record-setting leap of 6 feet, 8.32 inches. “No one met us coming off the podium with endorsement offers, contracts or even gifts that I remember, but it didn’t really matter. We had won medals for our country, and we were proud and happy,” he said. “Margaret learned of her husband’s success through the newspapers. “We didn’t have television then,” she said, “and I was so happy when I learned that Buddy had done well. I still have the air mail letters he wrote to me from Finland, and I treasure those.” The Davis’ second daughter was born July 23, 1952, just three days after his medal-winning jump. Buddy went on to play professional basketball for two teams and win two NBA championships. His two rings, one from the Philadelphia Warriors in 1956 and the other from the St. Louis Hawks in 1958, testify to these feats. One is kept with his gold medal in a protective case, and Margaret proudly wears the other as she has for these many years. “I only wish I had not been so young and inexperienced,” said Buddy, “so that I could have realized what winning the gold medal really meant and that I would have been mature enough to take in everything.” Buddy went on to have a storied professional career in law enforcement with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, a 30-year banking career where he achieved the office of bank president, a stint as a top ranking civilian with the U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico, and lastly with FEMA. He, like his father, has always raised cattle. He and Margaret have nine children, seven girls and two boys, and a number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. “Oh, you should see this place when they all come home,” laughed Margaret, speaking of their comfortable Lufkin home with big wrap-a-round porches and a fishing pond. “It is quite loud, but lots of fun.” Buddy said that they were a close-knit family and that he believes he gets that from his dad. “My dad was the most kind and gentle man I’ve ever known,” he said. “It is said of us, if a bee stings one of us, we all swell up.” “As all of us kids get older, we realize more and more what an amazing story our dad is,” said Shaun P. Davis, Buddy’s youngest son and executive director of South East Texas Regional Planning Commission and former district director for Congressman Charlie Wilson. “Growing up we knew our dad was famous, but he rarely talked about it and we took it all in stride. My dad was more interested in being a good provider and taking care of our cows out in Bessie Heights Marsh across from Port Neches Park. That’s what I’ll always remember most — my dad and I and my Granddaddy Arthur Davis working cows across the river. I’ll bet you that’s what he remembers most too.