Ralph E. Davis Jr. (September 7, 1938 – May 30, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a starter on two NCAA Final Four teams at the University of Cincinnati.

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Ralph Davis

Personal information
Born	(1938-09-07)September 7, 1938 Vanceburg, Kentucky
Died	May 30, 2021(2021-05-30) (aged 82)
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	Lewis County (Vanceburg, Kentucky)
College	Cincinnati (1957–1960)
NBA draft	1960: 3rd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Playing career	1960–1962
Position	Shooting guard
Number	10, 25
Career history
1960–1961	Cincinnati Royals
1961–1962	Chicago Packers
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-MVC (1959)
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,195 (8.0 ppg)
Rebounds	248 (1.7 rpg)
Assists	424 (2.8 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

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Davis was born in Vanceburg, Kentucky, the son of Ralph E. Davis Sr., a self-employed businessman, and Anna Louis (Plummer) Davis.^[1] He played basketball at Lewis County High School in Vanceburg. He scored 1,810 points for the Lions and averaged 26.4 points and 18 rebounds per game as a senior.^[2] He was an all-district selection for three years. As a senior in 1956 he was named second team all-state by Louisville Courier-Journal as he led the Lions to the Eastern Kentucky Conference title.^[3] He was also an honor student.^[4]

Davis attended the University of Cincinnati, where he was a three-year starter for the Bearcats and coach George Smith.

As a sophomore in 1957–58, he averaged 7.9 points per game as the Bearcats posted a 25–1 record and won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) title^[5] led by fellow sophomore and future Hall-of-Famer forward Oscar Robertson and future longtime NBA player Connie Dierking.^[5]

As a junior in 1958–59, Davis started at point guard alongside Carl Bouldin and averaged 15.5 points (second to Robertson), 4.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds as the Bearcats were again MVC champions and Davis was named All-MVC. The 26–4 Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Final Four, where they finished in third place.^[5]

As a senior in 1959–60, Davis posted averages of 13.7 points (again second to Robertson), 4.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field as again the Bearcats won the league crown. Davis was named All-MVC^[5][6] and was also named second-team All-American by Converse. The Bearcats went 28–2, again advancing to the Final Four and again finishing third.^[5]

Davis' 1,093 career points ranked sixth in Cincinnati history upon his graduation in 1960.^[5]

Davis was drafted in the third round (17th overall) of the 1960 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals.^[7]

As a rookie in 1960–61, he played in 73 games, averaged 16.6 minutes, 2.4 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game as a reserve guard for the 33–46 Royals.^[7]

On April 26, 1961, he was drafted by the Chicago Packers in the NBA expansion draft. For the 1961–62 season, in 77 games Davis' playing time increased to nearly 26 minutes per game as he posted career-high averages of 10.4 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game^[7] for the 18–62 expansion team.^[8] In November 1961, the Packers had traded Davis to the St. Louis Hawks in a multi-player deal,^[9][10] but the trade was rescinded by NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff.^[11]

In 1962 he was officially traded to the St. Louis Hawks, but he did not play and his NBA career ended after two seasons.^[7]

In 1981, Davis was inducted into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.^[12] In 1998, he was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2010,^[13] Lewis County High School held a ceremony to retire Davis' number.^[4]

Davis was inducted into the inaugural class of the Lewis County high schools Hall of Fame in 2021.

Davis died on May 30, 2021, at age 82.^[14]