Calvin Davis is a 1990 graduate of Dorchester High School. Calvin’s high school coach, Charley Hays, told a story of how Calvin was invited to run in a prestigious meet at the open level at Harvard U. Calvin showed up but was unprepared to compete because he was somewhat intimidated by the collegians. After the first heat he was unimpressed by the winner's time so he scrambled to borrow some shorts, t-shirt and a pair of spikes and he ended up running the fastest indoor 400m ever by a high school athlete in Massachusetts. At Dorchester High School he made a name for himself in both track and football. Calvin has most of the Dorchester High track records. For example, he holds the 200 record at 21.6 the 300-yard at 31.2, the 400 meter at 47.7, I personally saw him run a leadoff leg of a sprint medley where he ran the 800 meters in 1:54.8, he high jumped 6’4” and was a very good high hurdler. His coach tells me, “Calvin would do whatever event he was needed in to help the team. He also was an outstanding football player. In his senior year the Dorchester Football team played in the Super Bowl. He scored the winning touchdown that clinched the Super bowl for DHS. He was also chosen to play in the prestigious Shriners Game and caught two touchdown passes. He was heavily recruited out of high school and eventually made his way to the University of Arkansas. There he would earn All-American Status as the NCAA 400 meter champion. Calvin’s improbable story is what makes athletics great. The 400 meters was loaded with talented Americans, including Michael Johnson. His coaches persuaded him to give the 400-meter hurdles a try, which he did in the spring of 1996. Calvin improved race by race, and his crash course lead him right to the Olympic trials. The 400-meter hurdles is one of the most difficult races to master and being a virtual rookie at the event, it was felt that Calvin was a long shot to make the Olympic team. Calvin proved all his critics wrong when he made the team. In Atlanta, he seemed loose and relaxed as he easily moved through the rounds to the final. In the finals American Derrick Atkins won the gold medal, Zimbabwe's Sam Matate the silver, but Davis was battling with veteran Sven Nylander from Sweden for the bronze. The rookie verses the veteran. Sven Nylander was desperately seeking an Olympic medal after years and years in the sport, but Calvin’s tenacity and open 400-meter speed aided him greatly as he out leaned the veteran for the bronze medal.
Class: 1990 Inducted: 2005