Hall of Fame Professional Basketball Player. For seven seasons (1948 to 1955), he played at the guard and forward positions in the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball Association with the Rochester Royals. Born Robert Edris Davies, he attended John Harris High School in Pennsylvania and played collegiate basketball at Seton Hall University. While with the Pirates, Davies (who earned the nickname 'Harrisburg Houdini' because of his effortlessly magical play-making) contributed to the school's 43-game win streak which covered two seasons (1939 to 1941) and was a key player on Seton Hall's squad which reached the quarter-finals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1941. Individually, he achieved All-American honors twice (1941 and 1942). After graduation, he served with the United States Navy during World War II, but continued his athletics during his military training. Prior to his professional playing career, he served as head coach at Seton Hall and guided the Pirates to a 24 win 3 loss record during the 1946-1947 season. Davies was a pioneering player during the early years of the NBA and along with his former Seton Hall teammate Bobby Wanzer, he experienced a world championship title with Rochester during the 1950-1951 season. Individually, he earned NBA All-Star status four-times (1951 to 1954) and totaled 6,594 points in 462 regular season games. After retiring from basketball, he worked as a representative for Converse. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was honored by the Sacramento Kings (formerly the Rochester Royals) when his uniform number 9 was retired by the franchise. Davies was included on the NBA's 25 Anniversary All-Time Team and is still regarded as one of the finest guards in NBA history. He died from cancer.
Hall of Fame Professional Basketball Player. For seven seasons (1948 to 1955), he played at the guard and forward positions in the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball Association with the Rochester Royals. Born Robert Edris Davies, he attended John Harris High School in Pennsylvania and played collegiate basketball at Seton Hall University. While with the Pirates, Davies (who earned the nickname 'Harrisburg Houdini' because of his effortlessly magical play-making) contributed to the school's 43-game win streak which covered two seasons (1939 to 1941) and was a key player on Seton Hall's squad which reached the quarter-finals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1941. Individually, he achieved All-American honors twice (1941 and 1942). After graduation, he served with the United States Navy during World War II, but continued his athletics during his military training. Prior to his professional playing career, he served as head coach at Seton Hall and guided the Pirates to a 24 win 3 loss record during the 1946-1947 season. Davies was a pioneering player during the early years of the NBA and along with his former Seton Hall teammate Bobby Wanzer, he experienced a world championship title with Rochester during the 1950-1951 season. Individually, he earned NBA All-Star status four-times (1951 to 1954) and totaled 6,594 points in 462 regular season games. After retiring from basketball, he worked as a representative for Converse. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was honored by the Sacramento Kings (formerly the Rochester Royals) when his uniform number 9 was retired by the franchise. Davies was included on the NBA's 25 Anniversary All-Time Team and is still regarded as one of the finest guards in NBA history. He died from cancer.
Bio by: C.S.
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LTJG US NAVY - World War II
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See more Davies memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968
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U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current
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U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
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Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966
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U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
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