Ira Davis, La Salle University
Track & Field – Class of 1958
Ira Davis was a versatile track star who won the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (ICAAAA or IC4A) 100 yard dash (9.6 seconds) in 1958. During the Penn Relays that year, he also become the 100 yard dash champion, as well as champion in the hop-step-jump (now known as the triple jump). Davis broke many La Salle track records and once held the American record in the hop-step-jump (53 feet, 11 inches). He then participated in the 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome) and 1964 (Tokyo) Olympics and came within 2 centimeters of capturing a Bronze medal in hop-step-jump in Rome (1960). In 1964, he was named the No. 3 triple jumper in Sport Magazine's All-Time Track & Field Team. In conjunction with his Olympic participation, Davis won three straight US Olympic Trials in the triple jump (1956, 1960, and 1964).
Ira Davis' La Salle Hall of Fame Page