Former Auburn Assistant Football Coach Paul Davis Passes Away

Davis, 87, was an assistant at Auburn under Jordan, Barfield, and Dye

March 31, 2009

Auburn, Ala. - Paul Davis, who served as an assistant football coach at Auburn from 1967-80 and 1987-89, passed away Tuesday at the age of 87. Davis was the Tigers' defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Shug Jordan from 1967-75, an assistant for Doug Barfield from 1975-80 and also was a member of Pat Dye's staff from 1987-90.

During his 17-year career at Auburn, Davis coached seven All-Americans and participated in nine bowl games as a member of the AU staff.

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Davis was a two-year letterman and 1947 graduate of Ole Miss. Davis coached in six decades, starting as a high school and junior college coach for eight years before serving as an assistant at Memphis State from 1955-58.

After a two-year stint in the Canadian Football League, Davis was an assistant at Georgia for a season before becoming the head coach at Mississippi State from 1962-66.

Davis, who served four years in the U.S. Army during World War II, also worked as a recruiting coordinator at Alabama for two seasons from 1981-82 and as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Temple from 1983-85.

Born on Feb. 3, 1922, Davis is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Earle Samuels of Clarksdale, Miss. He is survived by two children, both Auburn graduates, son, Paul E. (Rett) Davis Jr. of Livingston, Ala., and daughter Becky Gibson of Lutz, Fla., and two grandchildren, Paige and Davis Gibson. Rett was a split end at Auburn from 1971-73.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home in Opelika, Ala., will hold visitation and memorial services on Saturday, April 4, beginning with visitation at 1 p.m. CT and