SLS 23RS-133 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 9
BY SENATOR BERNARD
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Walter Davis on being inducted into the 2023 class of
the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Walter Davis on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana Sports
3 Hall of Fame.
4 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Louisiana, each year
5 collaborates with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in selecting a limited number of
6 sports figures who embody the character, skill, and talent worthy of being named to the Hall
7 of Fame; and
8 WHEREAS, the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class includes
9 Walter Davis; and
10 WHEREAS, a native of Arnaudville, Louisiana, and a graduate of Beau Chene High
11 School, Walter Davis did not start out as a track and field athlete; in fact he was an all-state
12 basketball player who decided to try track his junior year of high school; and
13 WHEREAS, Walter Davis began his collegiate career at Barton County Community
14 College in Great Bend, Kansas, and in 1999 and 2000, he competed in the National Junior
15 College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships, and
16 became the 2000 NJCAA Outdoor Triple Jump Champion and the 2000 NJCAA Outdoor
17 Long Jump Champion; and
18 WHEREAS, Walter had a short but highly productive career at Louisiana State
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 9
SLS 23RS-133 ORIGINAL
1 University (LSU) from 2001 to 2002 after transferring from Barton County Community
2 College; and
3 WHEREAS, although he only spent two seasons at LSU, Walter Davis is the most
4 decorated man in LSU track history; he is a six-time national champion, a nine-time
5 All-American, a seven-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion, holds three LSU
6 school records, and a perfect record of 17-0 in triple jump competitions during his LSU
7 collegiate career; and
8 WHEREAS, at the 2001 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor
9 Track and Field Championships, Walter placed first in the triple jump and second in the long
10 jump, scoring 18 of LSU's 34 points in a one-point win over Texas Christian University and
11 helping the team win its first NCAA Indoor crown; and
12 WHEREAS, a year later at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
13 held in Baton Rouge, Walter claimed both the triple jump and long jump titles, ran the
14 lead-off leg in the winning 4 by 100 relay, and scored twenty-two and a half percent of his
15 team's points, helping LSU win its second national title; and
16 WHEREAS, after winning the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National
17 Championship, the LSU men's track and field team received an invitation to visit the White
18 House; during the visit, Walter Davis presented President George H. W. Bush with an LSU
19 warm-up suit; and
20 WHEREAS, in 2000, having qualified for both the triple jump and the long jump,
21 Walter represented the United States of America (USA) at the 2000 Olympic Games held
22 in Sydney, Australia, and finished 11th in the triple jump; and
23 WHEREAS, in 2004, Walter represented the USA at the 2004 Olympic Games held
24 in Athens, Greece, competing in both the long jump and the triple jump; and
25 WHEREAS, also in 2004, Walter Davis was inducted into the Barton County
26 Community College Sports Hall of Fame; Walter is Barton County Community College's
27 first Olympian in any sport and the school record-holder for both the long jump and the triple
28 jump; and
29 WHEREAS, Walter Davis represented the USA at the World Indoor and Outdoor
30 Track and Field Championships a combination of eight times; and
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 9
SLS 23RS-133 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Walter Davis is the 2005 World Outdoor Triple Jump Champion, the
2 2006 World Indoor Triple Jump Champion, the 2003 World Indoor Triple Jump Silver
3 Medalist, and the 2007 World Outdoor Triple Jump Bronze Medalist; and
4 WHEREAS, in 2012, at the age of 33, Davis once again qualified for the USA
5 Olympic team; and
6 WHEREAS, Walter Davis was inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in
7 September 2019.
8 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
9 does hereby commend Walter Davis on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana
10 Sports Hall of Fame.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
12 Walter Davis.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Kathy Liberty.
DIGEST
SR 9 Original 2023 Regular Session Bernard
Commends Walter Davis on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame.
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