Brief Biography of NBA Legend Bob Davies and His Career

Bob Davies was born on January 15, 1920 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It has been said that Davies grew up playing with a tennis ball and shooting it into a can on a telephone pole and this is where he developed his basic skills for the game of basketball. Davies attended John Harris High School in Harrisburg and was a standout athlete.

Davies would attend Seton Hall University on a baseball scholarship after high school and would also play basketball there. Davies actually signed a professional baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox. The basketball coach at Seton Hall saw his potential in basketball, however, and worked hard to persuade Davies to keep practicing and focus on basketball.

Davies was known for his silky smooth dribbling moves in college; particularly his behind the back dribble. During the 1940's, the behind the back dribble was considered extremely fancy and not many players could pull it off, especially in games. A story was actually circulating during his college years that a priest who worked at Seton Hall actually died of a heart attack after seeing Davies' behind the back move.

Bob Davies would join the Navy after college and participate in World War II. After the war was over, he would join up with the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League and would lead them to a NBL Championship in 1946. Davies would go on to be the NBL's Most Valuable Player in 1947 and would win an NBA Championship with the team in 1951. His best season statistically would come in 1951-1952 for the Royals as averaged 16.2 points and 6.0 assists per contest.

Bob Davies would retire from basketball after the 1954-1955 season with career averages of 13.7 points and 4.9 assists per game. He would then begin a career in coaching at Gettysburg College where he stayed for two years and compiling a record of 28 wins and 19 losses. Davies number 11 is now retired by the Sacramento Kings who took over the Rochester Royals franchise many years ago. Davies died on April 22, 1990.

Bob Davies is a player that should not be forgotten among basketball greats and pioneers of the game. Davies played during an era when professional basketball was not very popular and he managed to give the game a more appealing look, thus keeping the game strong. His flashy style and appeal kept fans in the seats. Bob Cousy, a great player who came after Davies was often compared to him and because of this Davies has been forgotten by much of the basketball world. Bob Davies was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.