Fred Davis was a three-time All-American and a NCAA champion when he wrestled for Oklahoma State University in 1954-56.

He continued to have success in the sport of wrestling when he coached at Tulsa McLain from 1959 to 1964, and then moved on to become head coach at Brigham Young University.

During his 20-year tenure at BYU his teams compiled a record of 210-90-3. They won the WAC conference title 15 times. Davis was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1973. His teams finished in the NCAA Top 20 every year. Davis was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1973 when his BYU team placed fourth at the NCAA tournament.

In 1986 Davis returned to Tulsa and coached at Bishop Kelley High School until 1991, when he became Dean of Students.

He retired in 1999 after coaching wrestling for 30 years.