Barb Davis
By Mike Plant
Lots of outstanding athletes play a number of different sports in high school, then specialize once they head off to college.
That wasn’t the case for Barb Davis, the multi-skilled standout at Wooster High who then took her talents across town to The College of Wooster and never missed a beat — or a season.
Davis lettered in four sports at Wooster High — basketball, track, cross country and volleyball — highlighted by her accomplishments on the basketball court as a four-year letterwinner and team MVP who set the school rebounding record; and on the track, where she added four more letters and qualified for state in both the 200 and as part of the mile relay.
She still holds or shares a trio of track records at WHS, including the 100-meter dash, the 200, and as part of the 400-relay quartet.
At the college, Davis lettered in volleyball and basketball as a freshman, added track as a sophomore, then gave up volleyball to focus on the other two as a junior and senior.
On the basketball floor, Davis graduated No. 2 on the school’s all-time scoring and rebounding lists, and with single-season records for field goal percentage and free throws made. She set a school record with a 32-point game, and as a senior, averaged 16.8 points and 11.1 rebounds. A two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference pick, including once on the first team, Davis helped the Scots capture the 1984-85 NCAC title, the first and only NCAC crown for the program after a school-record 21-win season.
On the track, Davis was a sprinter for the Scots, competing in the 100 and 200 meters and making her biggest contribution as a member of the 4×100 relay. In 1983, she earned All-American honors in that event, teaming with Charlene Kemp, Darlene Kemp, and Pam Willis to set a Wooster record that still stands. Two years later, Davis was part of the 4×1 relay that won the conference title. That helped Wooster capture the NCAC team championship.
Davis said running on the national runner-up 4×1 relay squad is her best memory from athletics.
This is the third Hall of Fame Davis has been named to, as she is in the Wooster High and College of Wooster HOFs.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education, she went on to Ithaca College and the State University of New York at Albany, where she completed work towards master’s degrees in physical education and special education, respectively.
Today, Davis is currently a special education teacher for Medina City Schools, a job she’s held since 1999. She is also an assistant basketball coach with the Medina High girls basketball team. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her two dogs, working in her flower gardens, and travel.