William E. Davis

For the American judge, see W. Eugene Davis.

William E. Davis

Sport(s)	Football
Biographical details
Born	(1929-02-15) February 15, 1929
Playing career
1950	Colorado
Position(s)	Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1962	Colorado (interim HC)
Head coaching record
Overall	2–8
Statistics College Football Data Warehouse

William Eugene "Bud" Davis (born February 15, 1929) is a former university president, Democratic politician, and head football coach. He was an interim head football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes for the 1962 season. He was later the President of Idaho State University and University of New Mexico, and Chancellor of the Oregon University System and Louisiana State University. He is best known in Colorado for writing the book Glory Colorado! A history of the University of Colorado, 1858-1963, which was also his doctoral thesis and a nearly 800 page book. Davis ran for the U.S. Senate in Idaho in 1972.

Early career

After graduating from Loveland High School, Davis choose to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) to stay close to home and near his high school sweetheart, Pollyanne Peterson. He arrived in 1947 and declared he wanted "to be the world's greatest football coach" and chose a physical education major and English minor. He was a reserve football player on the varsity team. After graduating in 1951, he remained at the University as assistant to the dean of men. He resigned the position to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. The spring of his senior year he married Peterson.

In 1960, he completed his masters degree at the University of Northern Colorado in education administration and became CU's alumni director while working on his doctoral degree in education. After Sonny Grandelius left Colorado with NCAA sanctions, Davis was hired to be the football team's interim head coach on March 27, 1962. The team went 2–8 for the season and included an upset win over Air Force as the last game of the season. Colorado was a 21-point underdog in the game and won 34-10. The Bud Davis football era ended on January 3, 1963 when Eddie Crowder was hired to take the job permanently, though Davis had resigned the day of the Air Force game.

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Colorado Buffaloes (Big Eight Conference) (1962)
1962	Colorado	2–8	1–6	7th
Colorado:		2–8	1–6
Total:		2–8

Glory Colorado!

While working on his doctoral degree and coaching the football team Davis was writing his thesis. He received special permission from the doctoral thesis committee to bypass the standard format and write the historical narrative book about the history of the University of Colorado at Boulder until that point. The name was chosen because the school song of the same name; which is set to the music of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and he felt captured the school spirit. He acquired the bulk of information for the book from student published and local city newspapers. It was published by Fred Pruitt, founder of Pruitt Press Inc., who was also a journalism professor, in 1965 and offered to print it at no cost. The book has been called the "primary historical reference for the University" (of Colorado at Boulder). The book is no longer in print and was sold canvas bound for $8. an index to supplement the text was later published and distributed by the Associated Alumni.

Career

After receiving his doctoral degree in 1963, Davis left CU to become executive assistant to the president for student affairs at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. In 1972, while president at Idaho State in Pocatello, Davis won the Democratic nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat in Idaho. He was defeated in the general election by Republican Congressman Jim McClure.

U.S. Senate elections in Idaho (Class II): Results 1972

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1972		William E. "Bud" Davis	140,913	45.5%		Jim McClure	161,804	52.3%		Jean L. Stafford	American	6,885	2.2%

Source:

He was the President of Idaho State University (1965–75) and University of New Mexico (1975–82), Chancellor of the Oregon University System (1982–89) and Louisiana State University (1989–96). He has published other works, including Miracle on the Mesa/A History of the University of New Mexico, 1889–2003 He currently is on the Board of Directors for Sunrise Bank of Albuquerque since 2005.

Glory Colorado! Volume 2

Davis was commissioned by CU to write Volume 2 in 1999. It would cover the period from 1963 (the end of the first book) to 2000. Davis wrote the book pro bono writing a majority of the book in the summer of 1999 while on break from Louisiana State University.

Awards and honors

• George Norlin Award, for distinguished service (1975)
• University of Colorado Alumnus of the Century Award (1977)
• CU Athletic Hall of Honor award (1980)
• Davis Field, on the Idaho State University campus in Pocatello, the outdoor venue for track & field and soccer, formerly the "Spud Bowl" ()

Quote

• "Universities perform miracles. They change lives. The University of Colorado made it possible for me to have a life of wild adventure."

External links

• William E. Davis at the College Football Data Warehouse

Academic offices
Preceded by Donald E. Walker	President of Idaho State University 1965–1975	Succeeded by Charles Kegel
Preceded by Ferrel Heady	President of University of New Mexico 1975–1982	Succeeded by John Perovich
Preceded by E. Grady Bogue	Chancellor of Louisiana State University 1989–1996	Succeeded by William L. Jenkins
Party political offices
Preceded by Ralph R. Harding	Democratic Party nominee, U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Idaho 1972 (lost)	Succeeded by Dwight Jensen