Roger Allen Davis Sr.

Roger Allen Davis, Sr., age 91, went home to the Lord on October 5, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Born on April 3, 1934, in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, he was the son of Lloyd Elton Davis and Mabel Aradel Ealy.  Roger was the seventh of eight children.  He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings:  Herman, Pauline, Warren, Carl, Gloria, Helen and Nancy.

Roger graduated from Cardington Lincoln High School, class of 1952, where he lettered and made all honors in baseball, basketball and football.

At age 18, a sports injury resulted in the loss of his leg and dramatically altered his dream of playing Major League Baseball.  However, his attitude and perseverance allowed him to go on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University where he served as the manager of the baseball, basketball and football teams.

In 1963 Roger moved his young family to Nashville, TN and was reintroduced to baseball and found a new sport to him, wheelchair basketball.  He played with the Music City Lightning, who won two National Championships. In 1973 he proudly represented the United States at the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, earning gold medals in wheelchair basketball, shot put, and precision javelin, along with a silver medal in discus.

His extraordinary athletic achievements were recognized through inductions into four halls of fame: the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame, the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association Hall of Fame, the National Wheel-cats Association Hall of Fame, and the Cardington Lincoln High School Hall of Fame.

He was selected for the 1982 Holland Wheelchair Basketball tournament for Team USA in which they won the gold medal.

He not only played the game of wheelchair basketball he served as 1st Vice President and Commissioner of the NWBA. In the more local level, along with his wife Mary Paul, they started and developed the Orlando Magic Wheels both men and women's wheelchair basketball teams.

Roger’s influence went far beyond the sports fields.

As a civil engineer, Roger led the Research and Development department of Metro Water Services, Nashville, TN. He retired in 1996.

Roger is survived by Mary Paul Warner, his wife of 38 years, he raised 7 children, Roger Davis, Jr. (Vicky) of Clarksville; Gary Davis of Clearwater, Florida, Kyle Davis of Shelbyville, TN, Trey Smith of Greenwood, IN, Matthew Smith. (April) of Murfreesboro, Kristin Todd (Garry) of White Bluff; and Brad Gipson of Nashville; 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and a multitude of nieces and nephews.

Rogers love for baseball never diminished.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday May 23, 2026, at the home of a nephew, Warren Davis, address: 7955 Crawford Morrow County Line Rd., Galion, OH, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

May his legacy of perseverance and faith bring peace to all who knew him.