RIP Ralph Davis (1938-2021)

Cincinnati Bearcats fans everywhere said goodbye to a legend recently.

UC Athletics Hall of Famer Ralph Davis Jr. died at the age of 82, the Cincinnati Bearcats athletics department reported today.

Davis was a standout on the Bearcats’ pair of George Smith-coached Final Four teams of 1959 and 1960.

The speedy and slick Davis starred alongside Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati’s backcourt, averaging just over 15 and just under 14 points per game in his junior and senior years. Both years, he finished second to the “Big O” in scoring for the Bearcats.

In 88 career games, Davis scored 1,093 points—good for sixth all-time in Cincinnati history at the time of his graduation. In 1981, Cincinnati inducted him into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame.

Following his tenure with the Bearcats, Davis joined up with the Cincinnati Royals, who picked him in the third round of the 1960 NBA Draft.

Davis’ NBA career proved short. He played just two seasons in the league—one for Cincinnati and one for Chicago Packers (who soon relocated to Baltimore and became the Bullets).

I have had trouble finding more information about his life after the NBA. If you have more details, we’d love to hear them.