John W. Davis was born on March 16, 1907, in Wisconsin.

A nationally known and respected bowler for many years, John bowled in tournaments throughout the United States. He won the All Event state championship at LaCrosse in 1935 with a mark of 1,899 pins. He was also the Midwest doubles champion.

In 1939 and 1940, John bowled as a member of the world champion Milwaukee Heil team, which included Hank Marion and Ned Day as team members.

John won the Beloit City Tournament six times, including five championships in a row. His finest effort in the tournament was a 4,417 series over 20 games for a 220.85 average per game.

John also bowled nine 300 games and had a high three-game series of 796.