The Bleacher Bums live on and so does Scott Davis a PTHS Alumni class of '82

Scott Davis senior picture PTHS 1982

Davis and daughter Makayla 

Makayla loves to fly

Davis, wife Dee, and Makayla

Paducah Tilghman High School Bleacher Bums in the early 80's.

In the early 80’s, MTV launched, ‘Pac-Man’ released, A.I.D.S. hit the U.S., Prince Charles and Lady Diana had their fairytale wedding, and Ronald Reagan was president. Today’s generation is encountering the Harry and Meghan reality show, the pandemic, the Trump/Biden mail-in vote controversy, and the ‘rush to market’ COVID-19 vaccine. 

Paducah Tilghman High School Alumni Scott Davis was a product of the 80’s. He attended high school from 1980-1982 along with a slew of friends. When Davis reminisced about the things he missed most about high school, he said, “playing football, wrestling, and hanging out with friends.” 

In high school, Davis was a member of the football team, wrestling team, track and field, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). His favorite coach was Steve Johnston. Coach Johnston was the nicest person on the face of the earth. He was a ‘big’ man in the eyes of the students. We all knew, it was the size of his heart that took up the most space. 

Coach Johnston and Davis were friends on the field and off the field. Johnston coached wrestling, football, and track. The pair shared interests in home improvement projects, refinishing furniture, and shooting activities. Davis said, “When Coach Johnston passed away, an invitational wrestling tournament was founded in his honor. He was the PTHS inaugural wrestling coach in the early 70’s.” Johnston also served as an officer in the US Army Reserves. 

Davis made many friends on the football field and took sports very seriously. He said, “According to Coach Haley, football prepares you for the most important game of all, the game of life.” Coach Dan Haley was the head coach at PTHS in the 70’s and early 80’s. 

After graduating high school, Davis attended WKCTC and started helping his dad with the family business. His first job after college was at Baptist Health Paducah. He worked in the laundry department and surgery transport. After Baptist, Davis found his career job in the trucking industry. He attended truck driving school, started moving products, and in between gigs, worked as a diesel mechanic. For the past three years, he’s been employed by Nussbaum Transportation Services, Inc. in Hudson, Illinois. 

Davis spoke briefly about his mother. “We were very close.” said Davis. One of his fondest memories of his mom revolved around his grandparents farm near Benton, Kentucky. "We would gather food from the garden and shuck corn and snap beans. During the fall, you could find us in the tobacco barn stripping tobacco getting it ready for the sale which was either in Hopkinsville, Mayfield or Paducah," said Davis. She passed away in 2002 after a year’s battle with cancer. Two months after his mother died, Davis’ daughter Makayla was born. 

Makayla is a senior at Caldwell County High School in Princeton, Kentucky. She’s very active in school, just like her daddy. She’s a member of the color guard and plays on a youth bowling team. In fact, she’s qualified for the National Junior Gold tournament for three consecutive years. In order to qualify, you must compete in Junior Gold tournaments, be in good standing with the USBC (United States Bowling Congress) and become a member of Junior Gold. Unfortunately, 2020’s tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. 

Makayla lives with her mother and stepdad in Princeton, Kentucky while Davis lives with his wife Dee in Evansville, Indiana. Makayla has plans to either attend Eastern Kentucky University and study aviation or enlist in the US Air Force. She hopes to receive a bowling scholarship. 

Davis is an avid sportsman. One of the greatest experiences of his life was fishing with former PTHS Alumni and professional sports fisherman Mark Menendez. “Going fishing with Mark was a great experience. I learned about fishing seasonal patterns, using different lures and techniques, reading points, and finding underwater structures. I also learned how to operate a high performance bass boat.” 

Menendez is a Bassmaster Elite Series angler and has been fishing professionally for over 20 years with over 230 tournaments and three professional wins and has won over $1 million dollars in prize money. Menendez graduated the same year as Davis in high school. 

In planning for the future, Davis and his wife Dee want to travel during their retirement years. After another ten years or more, the two will drive off into the sunset in a new RV on a journey to visit family and friends and potentially become campground hosts. It’s the simple things that make Davis smile. He said,” Being at a Purdue football game with my wife Dee makes me happy.” 

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