By Ann Gill (M.A., ’76)
Dallas Davis (B.S., ’01) grew up in Fort Collins and attended Fort Collins High School. He was recruited to several universities to play football, but in the end, Coach Sonny Lubick and his staff convinced this outstanding wide receiver and return specialist to become a Ram. He has remained in sports during his career and, more importantly, is devoted to making the world a better place for all people.
Davis has wonderful memories of his days on campus, including meeting his wife, Brandy, at an AKA sorority party in the Lory Student Center and becoming lifelong friends with many of his teammates. His fond memories also include the coaches and staff as well as exploits on the field, including his first touchdown, which came during the 1997 Holiday Bowl when he was a true freshman. Somewhat less fond memories include dropping a wide-open pass in the end zone as well as learning how to “collect” from a ram and palpating a cow in animal science courses.
After college, Davis signed a free-agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but injuries ended his playing career early. He recalls what followed as “being lost;” he spent time thinking and growing, figuring out what he wanted to do after athletics. While working in sports had not been his career goal, he found he missed that life. He landed a few temporary sports gigs, including with the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami and the NBA All-Star Game in Denver.
Then the Colorado Rockies offered Davis a position, and he has been with the organization for 16 years. Most of that time he was in the Community Affairs Department, creating educational and community programming. As part of their Make an Impact Program, he visited more than 300 schools in Colorado and nearby states. He also worked with players and their families on charity activities and with Rockies’ youth camps and clinics. In addition, he served as a liaison to local and regional nonprofit organizations.
At the beginning of 2021, Davis transitioned to his current role ̶ director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and recruiting. His goal is to continue to help create an inclusive environment. As he puts it, “baseball is for everyone, and that includes in the community, in the stands, on the field, and in the office.” In helping the organization continue to create more equitable opportunities for women and people of color, Davis wants communities of “untapped talent to have a fair chance at opportunities in our society.” He also wants to celebrate the diversity that exists in the community, knowing the important role sports can play.
“As a mixed-race Black kid growing up in Fort Collins, sports gave me opportunities I would not have had otherwise,” he says. But at the time, he saw sports as his only path to success. “Aside from some in my family, no one talked to me about owning a business or being in the corporate world. I didn’t realize people that looked like me could one day wear a tie.”
Among the messages he gives to youth are the dangers of drugs and alcohol, understanding financial issues, and, if they are involved in sports, thinking about what they want to do when sports are done.
Davis comes from a family of Rams. His mother, Debra Davis (B.S., ’99), was a social work major. His grandfather, Dr. Don Martin, was a construction management professor, and his grandmother, Dr. Dorothy Martin, was on the human development faculty and then in Extension. His uncle and cousins attended CSU as well. He and Brandy have three daughters, Sadé, Selah, and Leera. He proudly states that they are “great students, great athletes, and great people,” adding, “perhaps they will be Rams one day!”
The Davis family spends much of their free time on bleachers at games and matches, but they also like to travel the world. He thinks it is important to experience other countries and cultures and the variety of people who live there, citing a family trip to Cuba. As this amazing alumnus explains, “We are a multicultural family living in a multicultural world.”