Parke H. Davis
Parke H. Davis, head football coach, Lafayette College (1895–98) Lafayette College, David Bishop Skillman Library, Department of Special Collections & College Archives
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
July 16, 1871 Jamestown, New York |
| Died | June 5, 1934 (aged 62) |
| Playing career | |
| 1890–1892 | Princeton |
| Position(s) | Tackle, end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1893 | Wisconsin |
| 1894 | Amherst |
| 1895–1897 | Lafayette |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 37–11–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 National (1896) | |
Parke Hill Davis (July 16, 1871 – June 5, 1934) was an American football player, coach, and historian who retroactively named national championship teams in American college football from the 1869 through the 1932 seasons. He also named co-national champions at the conclusion of the 1933 season. Davis' selections are included in the NCAA's official football record books, as the only championship teams chosen on the basis of research.
Davis was a lineman for Princeton and a member of the Tigers' "tug-of-war team in 1889" before going on to coach at Wisconsin (1893),Amherst (1894) and Lafayette (1895–98), where he also served as athletic director.
He displayed an admirable range of talents. In 1896 alone, Coach Davis organized Lafayette's Law Club; he appeared in a leading role in a stage production of The Rivals at the Easton, Pennsylvania Opera House; he read Longfellow poetry at the Freshman Initiation gala; and he led Lafayette to its first national football championship, an honor he would, himself, bestow upon his team some 37 years after the fact.
The biggest win of the 1896 season came in Philadelphia against Pennsylvania on October 24. A standout for Lafayette was a newcomer named Fielding "Hurry Up" Yost.
Yost began playing football at West Virginia University in 1894 at the age of 23. A 6-foot, 200-pounder, Yost was a star tackle at WVU into the 1896 season. But after his team lost three times to Lafayette in home games played on three different fields over the course of three days, Yost became a remarkable personification of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." He transferred in mid-season to join what would be Coach Davis' national championship team.
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