Otis Davis (Jul 12, 1932 – Sep 14, 2024) picked up track at a late age, but matured quickly in the sport and won two gold medals at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games before settling into a life of coaching and public service.

Born in 1932 in Alabama, Davis came to Eugene as a basketball player following four years in the Air Force. Although he never lettered in basketball, he took up track having never run in a meet and competed for the Ducks in 1958-60. He won just one major title – the 440-yard final in the Pacific Coast Conference championships in 1959, but learned enough of the sport to take on the world the following year.

In 1960, he became the first runner to break 45 seconds in the 400 meters and won in 44.9 seconds, edging out a German Carl Kauffmann in a photo finish in Rome. The win made him the first University of Oregon competitor or alumnus to win a gold medal. He anchored the winning 4×400 relay team to a gold medal as well.

Following his retirement from the sport, he became a coach and popular columnist in Europe, and then educator and community activist on the East Coast.

Davis was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, and the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992. He also is a member of the New Jersey Sports Writers Hall of Fame.