PARENTS: John E. & Hallie Marie Duff Davis
MARRIED: Bernice Braker, 1952, in New Berlin
CHILDREN:
Jim Davis' hall of fame softball coaching career included 21 seasons at Lincoln Land Community College, where his teams went a combined 760-380.
Jim Davis, a Springfield fast-pitch softball legend who coached the Lincoln Land Community College softball team for 21 seasons until the age of 82, died Monday at Memorial Medical Center after a four-month battle with lymphoma, according to his granddaughter Maria Reznicek.
He was 89.
Davis only had one sub-.500 season at LLCC and retired after the 2009 campaign with a 760-380 record. He was a four-time conference Coach of the Year while at Lincoln Land; his last such honor came in 2006.
“He taught the fundamentals of softball,” said Reznicek, who played at LLCC in the 2000-01 seasons. “A lot of coaches don’t teach the basic fundamentals of the sport. They just assume everybody can do the basic fundamentals. He had a lot of knowledge about the game.”
That 2001 team was, record-wise, Davis’ most successful at 44-11. The Loggers reached the championship game of the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament before losing to Lake Land.
Davis coached his daughter, Debbie Reznicek, for many years. Both were each three-time Hall of Famers. In 2004, Davis was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame as a Friend of Sport. He joined his daughter, who was enshrined in 1999.
Davis was a 1986 inductee into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. Reznicek is also an ASA Hall of Famer, and both father and daughter were part of the Springfield Davenport Builders Rockettes team that won the 1985 and 1986 Class AA state titles. The 1986 team finished fifth nationally and also was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame.
Before taking over at LLCC in 1989, Davis served as a volunteer coach both at LLCC and at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. That experience drew the attention of then-LLCC athletic director Claude Kracik.
“(Kracik) called me and said, ‘The program here has been so terrible. Would you come and rescue it?” Davis said in 2007.
Even at 80, Davis knew he wanted to keep coaching.
“If I say I plan on staying until it ceases to be fun, I would probably be lying because I think it will be fun as long as I am taking deep breaths,” Davis said. “I don’t know what 80 should feel like, but I don’t feel that much older than I did at 60.
“I don’t feel 80 because I see 80-year-old people and I say, ‘They look old.’ I know I look old, but I don’t feel that I look that old.”
After retiring from coaching, Davis remained active. He maintained his gig calling square and round dancing until 2015, could be seen walking to the Mel-O-Cream Donut shop in the Fairhills Shopping Center and watched many of Maria Reznicek’s slow-pitch softball games at Spartan Sports Park.
Survived by wife, Bernice, daughter Debbie Reznicek, son, Dennis Davis and four grandchildren.
per Obit: Since 1948 Jim was also a square dance instructor and caller, including choreographer for the movie "Awakening Land". First and last caller at Yatesville as of 2008. Aware for Early American Dance. Self-taught auctioneer by correspondence courses. Auction 20 yrs at Palmyra, Ashland and Woodson!!
MARRIED: Bernice Braker, 1952, in New Berlin
CHILDREN:
Jim Davis' hall of fame softball coaching career included 21 seasons at Lincoln Land Community College, where his teams went a combined 760-380.
Jim Davis, a Springfield fast-pitch softball legend who coached the Lincoln Land Community College softball team for 21 seasons until the age of 82, died Monday at Memorial Medical Center after a four-month battle with lymphoma, according to his granddaughter Maria Reznicek.
He was 89.
Davis only had one sub-.500 season at LLCC and retired after the 2009 campaign with a 760-380 record. He was a four-time conference Coach of the Year while at Lincoln Land; his last such honor came in 2006.
“He taught the fundamentals of softball,” said Reznicek, who played at LLCC in the 2000-01 seasons. “A lot of coaches don’t teach the basic fundamentals of the sport. They just assume everybody can do the basic fundamentals. He had a lot of knowledge about the game.”
That 2001 team was, record-wise, Davis’ most successful at 44-11. The Loggers reached the championship game of the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament before losing to Lake Land.
Davis coached his daughter, Debbie Reznicek, for many years. Both were each three-time Hall of Famers. In 2004, Davis was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame as a Friend of Sport. He joined his daughter, who was enshrined in 1999.
Davis was a 1986 inductee into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. Reznicek is also an ASA Hall of Famer, and both father and daughter were part of the Springfield Davenport Builders Rockettes team that won the 1985 and 1986 Class AA state titles. The 1986 team finished fifth nationally and also was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame.
Before taking over at LLCC in 1989, Davis served as a volunteer coach both at LLCC and at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. That experience drew the attention of then-LLCC athletic director Claude Kracik.
“(Kracik) called me and said, ‘The program here has been so terrible. Would you come and rescue it?” Davis said in 2007.
Even at 80, Davis knew he wanted to keep coaching.
“If I say I plan on staying until it ceases to be fun, I would probably be lying because I think it will be fun as long as I am taking deep breaths,” Davis said. “I don’t know what 80 should feel like, but I don’t feel that much older than I did at 60.
“I don’t feel 80 because I see 80-year-old people and I say, ‘They look old.’ I know I look old, but I don’t feel that I look that old.”
After retiring from coaching, Davis remained active. He maintained his gig calling square and round dancing until 2015, could be seen walking to the Mel-O-Cream Donut shop in the Fairhills Shopping Center and watched many of Maria Reznicek’s slow-pitch softball games at Spartan Sports Park.
Survived by wife, Bernice, daughter Debbie Reznicek, son, Dennis Davis and four grandchildren.
per Obit: Since 1948 Jim was also a square dance instructor and caller, including choreographer for the movie "Awakening Land". First and last caller at Yatesville as of 2008. Aware for Early American Dance. Self-taught auctioneer by correspondence courses. Auction 20 yrs at Palmyra, Ashland and Woodson!!
PARENTS: John E. & Hallie Marie Duff Davis
MARRIED: Bernice Braker, 1952, in New Berlin
CHILDREN:
Jim Davis' hall of fame softball coaching career included 21 seasons at Lincoln Land Community College, where his teams went a combined 760-380.
Jim Davis, a Springfield fast-pitch softball legend who coached the Lincoln Land Community College softball team for 21 seasons until the age of 82, died Monday at Memorial Medical Center after a four-month battle with lymphoma, according to his granddaughter Maria Reznicek.
He was 89.
Davis only had one sub-.500 season at LLCC and retired after the 2009 campaign with a 760-380 record. He was a four-time conference Coach of the Year while at Lincoln Land; his last such honor came in 2006.
“He taught the fundamentals of softball,” said Reznicek, who played at LLCC in the 2000-01 seasons. “A lot of coaches don’t teach the basic fundamentals of the sport. They just assume everybody can do the basic fundamentals. He had a lot of knowledge about the game.”
That 2001 team was, record-wise, Davis’ most successful at 44-11. The Loggers reached the championship game of the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament before losing to Lake Land.
Davis coached his daughter, Debbie Reznicek, for many years. Both were each three-time Hall of Famers. In 2004, Davis was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame as a Friend of Sport. He joined his daughter, who was enshrined in 1999.
Davis was a 1986 inductee into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. Reznicek is also an ASA Hall of Famer, and both father and daughter were part of the Springfield Davenport Builders Rockettes team that won the 1985 and 1986 Class AA state titles. The 1986 team finished fifth nationally and also was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame.
Before taking over at LLCC in 1989, Davis served as a volunteer coach both at LLCC and at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. That experience drew the attention of then-LLCC athletic director Claude Kracik.
“(Kracik) called me and said, ‘The program here has been so terrible. Would you come and rescue it?” Davis said in 2007.
Even at 80, Davis knew he wanted to keep coaching.
“If I say I plan on staying until it ceases to be fun, I would probably be lying because I think it will be fun as long as I am taking deep breaths,” Davis said. “I don’t know what 80 should feel like, but I don’t feel that much older than I did at 60.
“I don’t feel 80 because I see 80-year-old people and I say, ‘They look old.’ I know I look old, but I don’t feel that I look that old.”
After retiring from coaching, Davis remained active. He maintained his gig calling square and round dancing until 2015, could be seen walking to the Mel-O-Cream Donut shop in the Fairhills Shopping Center and watched many of Maria Reznicek’s slow-pitch softball games at Spartan Sports Park.
Survived by wife, Bernice, daughter Debbie Reznicek, son, Dennis Davis and four grandchildren.
per Obit: Since 1948 Jim was also a square dance instructor and caller, including choreographer for the movie "Awakening Land". First and last caller at Yatesville as of 2008. Aware for Early American Dance. Self-taught auctioneer by correspondence courses. Auction 20 yrs at Palmyra, Ashland and Woodson!!
MARRIED: Bernice Braker, 1952, in New Berlin
CHILDREN:
Jim Davis' hall of fame softball coaching career included 21 seasons at Lincoln Land Community College, where his teams went a combined 760-380.
Jim Davis, a Springfield fast-pitch softball legend who coached the Lincoln Land Community College softball team for 21 seasons until the age of 82, died Monday at Memorial Medical Center after a four-month battle with lymphoma, according to his granddaughter Maria Reznicek.
He was 89.
Davis only had one sub-.500 season at LLCC and retired after the 2009 campaign with a 760-380 record. He was a four-time conference Coach of the Year while at Lincoln Land; his last such honor came in 2006.
“He taught the fundamentals of softball,” said Reznicek, who played at LLCC in the 2000-01 seasons. “A lot of coaches don’t teach the basic fundamentals of the sport. They just assume everybody can do the basic fundamentals. He had a lot of knowledge about the game.”
That 2001 team was, record-wise, Davis’ most successful at 44-11. The Loggers reached the championship game of the NJCAA Region 24 Tournament before losing to Lake Land.
Davis coached his daughter, Debbie Reznicek, for many years. Both were each three-time Hall of Famers. In 2004, Davis was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame as a Friend of Sport. He joined his daughter, who was enshrined in 1999.
Davis was a 1986 inductee into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. Reznicek is also an ASA Hall of Famer, and both father and daughter were part of the Springfield Davenport Builders Rockettes team that won the 1985 and 1986 Class AA state titles. The 1986 team finished fifth nationally and also was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame.
Before taking over at LLCC in 1989, Davis served as a volunteer coach both at LLCC and at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. That experience drew the attention of then-LLCC athletic director Claude Kracik.
“(Kracik) called me and said, ‘The program here has been so terrible. Would you come and rescue it?” Davis said in 2007.
Even at 80, Davis knew he wanted to keep coaching.
“If I say I plan on staying until it ceases to be fun, I would probably be lying because I think it will be fun as long as I am taking deep breaths,” Davis said. “I don’t know what 80 should feel like, but I don’t feel that much older than I did at 60.
“I don’t feel 80 because I see 80-year-old people and I say, ‘They look old.’ I know I look old, but I don’t feel that I look that old.”
After retiring from coaching, Davis remained active. He maintained his gig calling square and round dancing until 2015, could be seen walking to the Mel-O-Cream Donut shop in the Fairhills Shopping Center and watched many of Maria Reznicek’s slow-pitch softball games at Spartan Sports Park.
Survived by wife, Bernice, daughter Debbie Reznicek, son, Dennis Davis and four grandchildren.
per Obit: Since 1948 Jim was also a square dance instructor and caller, including choreographer for the movie "Awakening Land". First and last caller at Yatesville as of 2008. Aware for Early American Dance. Self-taught auctioneer by correspondence courses. Auction 20 yrs at Palmyra, Ashland and Woodson!!
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
