Oakwood honors Coach Davis

Coach Steven Davis “Yu didn’t coach me anymore after freshman [year]...but ya still left a deep impression...one love coach... tell JC I said watsup...R.I.P.” was a sentiment written on Facebook by Oakwood High School Student Preston Senter. There were many more like it, as well as texts, emails, and cell phone calls between students, teachers, and parents. The Oakwood Panther football team witnessed what was probably the most shocking event of their young lives shortly after two-a-day practice began on Wednesday, August 18, 2010. Defensive Coordinator (track and powerlifting coach and ISS teacher as well) Steve Davis passed out onto the floor of the locker room at Panther Stadium. They watched as efforts were made to revive their beloved coach. Despite those efforts, Davis died at the scene of an apparent heart attack.

Coach Davis did not exhibit any obvious symptoms in the days leading up to the event that would indicate a problem. He attended twoa day practice on both the Monday and Tuesday before and was his typical gung-ho self. He also attended the EE Club Welcome Back Breakfast on Monday morning. He seemed to be in good spirits and excited about the upcoming school year. Davis did have a history of chest pains but medical testing at the end of the last school year did not warrant concern for an impending heart attack. This time, the chest pains he had at the beginning of practice proved to be too much for him.

The funeral of Coach Davis was on Sunday at 2:00 PM in Grand Saline at Bartley Funeral Home. The school provided a bus for the athletes to ride to get to the funeral. The football team and the coaches were all honorary pall bearers. Dressed in their blue and gold jerserys, they, and Coaches Tommy Tritz, Kyle Casey, and Stephanie Lucio, were on their way. OISD Superintendent Richard Scoggin and his wife, first grade teacher/cheerleader sponsor, Kimberly followed. Athletic Director Mike Heckathorn and his wife Debbie, PIEMS Coordinator for OISD, also followed the bus. Many more members of the OISD staff carpooled to attend the funeral.

Davis was born in Grand Saline on October 10, 1998. In high school, he discovered that football truly made him happy and he was good at at it. He carried that love with him through the four years he lettered at Tarleton State University. Davis went on to earn his Bachelors degree from A&M in 1989 but he wasn’t finished yet. He went back to Tarleton and earned his Masters Degree in Education in 1996. Over the years, his career took him to Burleson, then back to Tarleton, on to Baylor, then to Nacagdoches, and finally to Oakwood.

Football wasn’t the only thing Davis took with him from his high school years. He met the other love of his life, high school sweetheart, and wife, Gail Savage Davis. They were married for 37 years and had two children a son, Shane and a daughter, Ashley. Betweem them, Shane and his wife June and Ashley and her husband Jef gave them five beautiful grandchildren- Machenzie, Scott, and Drew Davis, and Jordan and Jeter Beyer. Coach Davis was very proud of them all and spoke of them often.

At 61 years old, Harold Steven Davis left quite an impact on the world, especially the community of Oakwood. Even though he had only been on staff at the school for two years, he was so well liked and respected, people felt as if they had known him their whole lives. He was known by both teachers and students as a tough as nails kind of guy when it came to working with the kids. Pre-K teacher’s aide Barbara Tysar said, “The ISS building was next door to Pre-K and we talked almost everyday. He was a very nice man who loved the kids--- strict but gave good advice. I call him the quiet man who loved to talk!”