Kermit Davis Sr., one of the most accomplished basketball players to come out of Tippah County and a towering figure in Mississippi basketball history, passed away Monday, Aug. 10.
Long before Davis became a successful college player and coach, his basketball story began at Walnut High School, where he helped establish one of the most remarkable eras in the history of Tippah County sports.
Davis starred for Walnut from 1951 through 1955, earning First Team All-State honors in both 1954 and 1955. During his four-year high school career, Walnut compiled an extraordinary 178-22 record.
His greatest season at Walnut came in 1954, when Davis averaged 21 points per game and helped lead the Wildcats to the BB-B State Championship with a 58-55 victory over Cathedral. Walnut then captured the prestigious Grand Slam Championship with a 59-56 win over Forest Hill, completing one of the greatest seasons in school history.
A year earlier, Davis averaged 15 points per game while helping Walnut win the North State championship. As a senior in 1955, he elevated his game even further, averaging 27 points per contest and leading Walnut back to the state tournament.
Davis was also selected to play in the first Mississippi High School All-Star basketball game in 1955, further establishing himself as one of the state’s premier players.
His success at Walnut opened the door to Mississippi State, where Davis became the first player signed to a scholarship by legendary Bulldogs coach Babe McCarthy. Davis also famously encouraged McCarthy to take a look at one of his former junior high teammates, future Mississippi State and National Basketball Hall of Fame standout Bailey Howell.
During Davis’ playing career in Starkville from 1956 through 1959, Mississippi State compiled a 79-16 record.
Davis later built an impressive coaching career of his own. After coaching at Leakesville High School and leading an Army basketball team while serving as an infantry platoon leader at Fort Dix, he became head coach at Tupelo High School.
From 1962 through 1966, Davis guided Tupelo to a 131-23 record and back-to-back Class AA State Championships and Grand Slam Championships in 1965 and 1966. His overall high school coaching record finished at an outstanding 187-31.
He returned to Mississippi State as an assistant coach from 1966 through 1970 before becoming the Bulldogs’ head coach in 1970. Davis was named Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year in 1971.
For basketball fans across Mississippi, Davis will be remembered for his accomplishments at the highest levels of the sport. In Tippah County, however, his legacy begins with Walnut.
He was a hometown standout who helped take a small Tippah County school to the top of Mississippi basketball, becoming an All-State player, state champion and Grand Slam champion before carrying the Walnut name into Southeastern Conference basketball.
More than seven decades after his playing days at Walnut, Kermit Davis Sr. remains one of the most accomplished athletes ever produced by Tippah County and an important part of the county’s rich sports history.
