Darlington Loses a Legend in 'Coach Charlie'

Darlington lost one of her legends on July 4 when retired teacher and longtime coach Charlie Davidson passed away. His memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 6, at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Rome. 

“Coach Charlie,” as Davidson was called, was Darlington’s athletic director and head football coach from 1971-1984. He touched so many lives here at Darlington and his legacy continues on today with the Charlie Davidson Field, located next to Thatcher Hall. 

When I meet Darlington alumni, I always hear stories of beloved faculty members and “Coach Charlie” is definitely among them. He coached and mentored so many students and raised three Darlington alumni, Gregg (’72), Mike (’76) and Jody (’78) during his tenure here. When “Coach Charlie,” his wife Vickie, and their family came to campus during Alumni Weekend 2009 for the dedication of Charlie Davidson Field, he was beaming and full of tales from his years at Darlington. Click here to read the field dedication story.  

It is these stories and connections that make certain longtime faculty members legendary. I like to think that the “legends” of Darlington, like Wilcox, Yankee, Wright, Moser, Campbell and Davidson (to only name a few), will always be with us as long as the lives they touched continue to remember. 

If you have stories of “Coach Charlie” or other Darlington “legends” you like to share, please comment here or write me at vvincent@darlingtonschool.org.