CINCINNATI – Ralph Davis Jr., a former standout University of Cincinnati men's basketball player and James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame member, passed away on Sunday, May 30, 2021, at the age of 82.
Davis (September 07, 1938 - May 30, 2021) was a three-year starter for the legendary UC teams of the late 1950s which compiled a 79-9 record, won three Missouri Valley Conference titles and made two appearances in the NCAA Final Four, finishing third each time.
The high-scoring performer was a co-captain with Oscar Robertson in 1959-60 and was second on the team in scoring and assists his final two seasons, averaging 15.5 ppg as a junior and earning Second-Team All-America honors in 1960.
A two-time All-MVC selection, Davis closed out his UC career with 1,093 points, which was No. 6 on the career scoring charts when he graduated.
Davis was the 17th pick of the 1960 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals and played one season for the Royals before moving on to the Chicago Packers, where he started 77 games and averaged 10.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season. He scored 1,195 points and played in 150 NBA games before he retired from professional basketball during the 1962 exhibition season.
He was inducted in the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991, the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 and his number retired by Lewis County HS in 2010.
Davis is survived by his wife Eva, son Randy, daughters Marla and Jennifer, eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Read his
complete obituary online.
Visitation will take place on Saturday, June 5, 2021, from 9-11 a.m. at Mihovk-Rosenacker Funeral Home (10211 Plainfield Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45241). Funeral services will take place immediately following the visitation at the funeral home. Interment will be at Rest Haven Memorial Park.
Online condolences may be shared at
www.mrfh.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Davis' honor to either the UC men's basketball development fund (
https://cpaw.io/rdjr) or to Hospice of Cincinnati (
www.hospiceofcincinnati.org).
