Roscow A.L. Davies passes away at 81

The Bahamas’ sports fraternity has lost yet another one of its cherished members, mourning the loss of Roscow A.L. Davies, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 81.

Davies was known for his contributions to the local soccer community and played on several senior men’s national soccer teams. The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) named the soccer field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex after him – the Roscow A.L. Davies Field.

The son of Davies, Kevin Davies, spoke about how much the loss means to his family and the sports community.

“It is a great loss,” Davies said. “He was the patriarch of the family. He was the rock of the family and everything to mommy. He was a hero to us, his three boys, and also to his grandchildren. He was a lot to the soccer community, the Olympic association (now committee), the lodge, and everything that he touched. When he was at BaTelCo, now BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company), he was a lot to a lot of people. Now that he has passed, I found out that he has touched a lot more people than I thought. We are hanging in there and taking it one day at a time. We are taking it in stride. It is pretty much all we could do. You could only imagine the loss that we feel.”

Roscow A.L. Davies was born on September 9, 1939. He was set to celebrate his 82nd birthday on September 9 this year, and also his 60th wedding anniversary with wife Mavis on the same day. She along with their sons Reverend Father Stephen Davies, Trevor and Kevin Davies along with the grandchildren, are left to mourn the loss of the National Hall of Fame inductee.

In addition to playing for The Bahamas, the elder Davies played for St. George’s Sporting Club. In 1957, he was a part of the first all-star team from The Bahamas which traveled to Miami, Florida, to play against the Coral Gables Soccer Club for a trophy donated by the Bahamas Development Board. The team was managed by Sir Gerald Cash, former Governor General of The Bahamas, and captained by Roy Armbrister. Other players on that team were William Lowe, Fred Hanna, Paul Thompson, Irrington Isaacs, Leroy Archer and Cyril Joseph.

The late Davies was once a vice president of the then-Bahamas Olympic Association (BOA), now Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC). Some of the fondest memories Kevin Davies gave of his father were all centered around sports, he said – a testament to how involved he was in the sports community.

“Him coming to my games, I remember when I was playing in high school and I saw his car pull up, it was a calming feeling just to see him there. He was always a great support and as any coach he always had advice in everything I did. Those are my fondest memories. I remember one time when I started to feel myself and challenge him to a race. He put it on me and that was very humbling to me at the time. I was a teenager then, who thought that I was a better athlete than him. I found out otherwise at that time,” Davies said.

He continued: “I remember going to practice with him as a little boy around five or six-years-old. I used to go to practice with him, playing with the men. I remember him calling me shorty all the time and I was waiting for the point in my life when I could actually call somebody else shorty. He was always there for me.”

Davies served as president of the BFA from 1981 to 1991. BFA President Anton Sealey spoke about Davies’ leadership and extended sincere condolences from the BFA executives and members to the family.

“He was the consummate professional, a gentleman’s gentleman. His quiet, gentle demeanor belied the fierce competitor that he was both on and off the field. He represented The Bahamas with distinction both as an athlete and as an administrator. I will always be indebted to him for the example and the standards he set as a former president of the BFA. Many of his traits, I have tried to emulate during my tenure. It was only fitting that we honored him by naming the training facility at Baillou Hills, the Roscow A.L. Davies Field, our center of excellence. The BFA has lost one of its biggest fans and ardent supporters.”

Also extending condolences to the family was the BOC president, Romell “Fish” Knowles. He 

remembered the late Davies’s work ethic as an administrator.

“The news caught us by surprise. We are all saddened that he is no longer with us. He dedicated his life work to sports, social affairs and civics. Particularly in sports, he was an ‘administrator extraordinaire’. He was quiet yet very resourceful and attentive. It was always a pleasure to work closely with Roscow, and to see how much attention he paid to detail. He was a perfectionist,” Knowles said.

He continued. “He will be missed for sure. It is no coincidence that the BFA chose to name their national stadium in Roscow’s honor. He was indeed a standout Bahamian and a son of the soil who rose to greatness.”

In his latter years, Davies was on the board of the Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission (BADC). The executive director of BADC, Petra Haven, extended her condolences to the family.

“On behalf of the BADC, we want to extend heartfelt condolences to the family of Davies, who served as a board member for many years. His contributions, not only to the BADC but to sports, were insurmountable. The Bahamas suffered a great loss because his dedication was unwavering, his moral compass was always pointed in the right direction, his contributions were invaluable, and he was a giant of a man. His presence will surely be missed,” Haven said.

There has been no funeral arrangement announced as yet.

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