The Godley, Texas native and Fresno State standout now resides and trains in College Station, TX. Davis is the sixth American NCAA pole-vaulter to clear the 19-foot barrier. The Godley high graduate was the nations leading prep pole-vaulter in 1996. The 2-time Texas State Champion also added dual bronze medals his freshman and sophomore year. Davis went on to win the 1996 US Junior National Crown competing in the Junior World Championships in Sydney Australia in 1996. Davis then went on to qualify for the NCAA Track and Field Championships 4 times. Jim broke Doug Fraley’s Fresno State University pole-vault record of 19 feet on his way to his 4th Western Athletic Conference Championship in 2000. In the preceding summer Davis went on to qualify for the finals of the 2000 US Olympic Trials.
After a year off to concentrate on school Davis went on to train with Lawrence Johnson and Roman Barchonicov in Knoxville, TN. After an injury-plagued season Davis joined Toby Stevenson and Kurt Hanna at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA and returned to form by qualifying for the 2003 US Outdoor Championships. Jim was instrumental in the progression of Chula Vista High School pole-vaulters and Peak Performance athletes over the past two years. Davis followed coach Ty Sevin to College Station in August of 2003 to train for a birth in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.