Jamaica’s UTech Elite Program Off and Running By Kerri Fleming Vautour ’07
ANTHONY DAVIS ’05 WON’TBE RUNNING ANY RACES. HEWON’TBE SHOUTING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE SIDELINES. HEWON’T BE WINNING ANY MEDALS.
But regardless, he will impact the 2012 Olympic Games in London, much the same way he left his mark in Beijing.
The list of people with Springfield College connections who have participated in the Olympics in one way or another is long and distinguished. From sport inventors and adminis- trators to coaches and athletes, rare are the Games that go by without a former resident of Alden Street. However, even among this impressive collection, Davis is unique. While he did make an appearance himself as a track athlete in the 1980 Moscow games, long before he arrived at Springfield College, his biggest contributions have come in the years, and athletes, since.
The idea of Springfield College was quickly supported by both Dennis Johnson, the director of the department of sport and a decorated Olympian himself, who called the College “the Harvard of sports,” and UTech’s then- president Rae Davis OJ, who said, “If Springfield accepts you, do not wait to hear from anyone else. Say yes immediately.”
When Davis began his undergraduate studies in the College’s sport management program in the early years of the 21st century, he was already unlike his classmates. He was 50 years old. He was from Jamaica. He was working full time as a sport facilities manager at the country’s famed University of Technology (UTech). And he was a former Olympian, having participated in the 100 meters and as an alternate in two relays, for his home country.
“Being older, I had a different relationship with my professors,” Davis said. “They didn’t know I was an Olympian. My job was to come and study.”
When Davis first thought about earning his degree in sport management, he hadn’t heard of Springfield College and applied to Temple University instead. His friend Keith McDermott, director of the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury and a Springfield College alumnus, first
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suggested his alma mater, and the idea was quickly supported by both Dennis Johnson, the director of the department of sport and a decorated Olympian himself, who called the College “the Harvard of sports,” and UTech’s then- president Rae Davis OJ, who said, “If Springfield accepts you, do not wait to hear from anyone else. Say yes immediately.” Anthony Davis did just that. Along the way, he used his expertise to assist men’s track and field coach Ken Klatka, a relationship that helped Davis as much as the student- athletes he worked with.
“I introduced them to different techniques and the sprinters did very well,” he said. “I got the opportunity to travel to campuses throughout New England, got to look at all these different facilities. It was an opportunity for growth and to see how things were done.”
Upon graduating in 2005, Davis returned to UTech as an assistant in the department of sport. Before long, he was promoted to the department’s director position. Today, UTech is known for its reputation of building athletes, particularly Olympic medal-winning track stars like Asafa Powell (4x100 gold medalist, former 100 record holder), Nesta Carter (4x100 gold medalist), and Shelly-Ann Fraser (100 gold medalist). The decorated Usain Bolt trains there.
That reputation began long before Davis, when Johnson founded the athletics program in the 1970s. By the time Davis came on board, the program was there, the coaches were there, the success was there. What weren’t there were the facilities and marketing.
“I’m not a coach, so my influence is different. We’ve built it up so the next natural step is to market what you have. That’s my influence,” he said. “Every president of UTech has been supportive of sports. It makes life significantly easier.” Davis has already left his mark in his limited time at the helm. He negotiated 11-month contracts with the coaches, who had previously only worked during their respective seasons. He developed an evaluation system for those coaches. He created contracts that student-athletes must sign and agree to before accepting a scholarship. Once those athletes accept the terms, they take part in classes on how to properly express themselves in interviews and dress profes- sionally. They even get free dental care and physicals before their seasons start.
Not everything is so professional, however. Before Davis, TRIANGLE 1 Vol. 83, No. 3
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