Dr. Artis Davenport
New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
Track and Field, 1961-2003
Southern University of New Orleans
Inducted: 2003
Doing more with so little would be the best way to describe the legacy of Dr. Artis Davenport, II. In his 42 years as a coach on the collegiate level he collected seven national titles and three national runner-up finishes, while coaching 40 individual track champions and 178 All-Americans. These accomplishments were achieved with volunteer assistant coaches, limited scholarships and virtually no budget.
One of the founders of the athletic program at Southern University at New Orleans, he served as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s track and field teams for the school.
Under Dr. Davenport’s direction, the Black Knights (as they were called until the mid-1980s) captured the NCAA Division III men’s outdoor national championships in 1975, 1976, and 1977 as well as the NAIA Division I women’s indoor and outdoor national championships in both 1995 and 1997. Southern University at New Orleans is the only institution in the state of Louisiana to have won national championships in both the NCAA and the NAIA in any sport.
He was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year four times.
In 2018, Dr. Artis Davenport was inducted into the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame.
“I always admire people who do things for the right reasons. He was in it for the right reasons and he was never a look-at-me-guy,” said Sam Seemes, CEO of the USTFCCCA.
“Amazingly, he did it with next to nothing—virtually no assets. What he had were good kids who performed well and won national titles. He got that out of them because winning national championships is not easy. I’m so glad this great contributor to the community was here to experience induction into our hall of fame.”
In years that SUNO did not win national championships, the University remained a formidable force on the college track and field scene. The Black Knights finished second in the NCAA Division III outdoor national championship in 1974 and third in 1980 and 1982. The men would later finish second in the NAIA outdoor national championship in 1998. The Lady Knights also achieved success in 1985, winning third place in DIII (outdoor) and finishing fourth in the NAIA in 1994 (outdoor) and 1996 (indoor and outdoor).
Under Dr. Davenport’s leadership, SUNO also established a presence in cross country. The University’s teams won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men’s championships in 1988 and 1989 as well as women’s championships in 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990.
The Monroe, La., native received degrees at both Tuskegee Institute and Louisiana State University, he also served in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer.
Davenport arrived at SUNO in 1961 as an assistant professor of physical education when the school had intramural sports only. A decade later he led the New Orleans branch of the Southern University System into the world of intercollegiate athletics.
Davenport passed away on September 7, 2019, at the age of 92.
