BARNESVILLE — Darrell Davis wore a lot of hats during his 68 years of life.

And it didn’t matter if it was father, grandfather, teacher or coach. Davis was highly successful and revered in all departments.

But, in talking to a few people about Davis after he passed away suddenly Monday afternoon, the word that was continually repeated was that of friend.

Basically, all who came in contact with Davis called him a friend. Whether it was his students at Barnesville High School or the athletes he coached during his tenure, which includes stints in football, wrestling and track, Davis was continually looking out for their best interests.

“Darrell was very serious about friendship,” Dave Kovalick, who coached with Davis in football and wrestling at Barnesville, said. “He’s one of those guys who would drop anything he was doing to come and help you. Most of us are blessed with people in our lives who become more than just acquantances. Darrell was like that so many people.”

Though friendly and able to sustain relationships with his athletes, Davis also had their attention and was able to separate himself when the time called for it. Barnesville legend Tim Moxley, who Davis coached in both football and wrestling, will certainly attest.

Moxley, who went on to an outstanding football career at Ohio State, was “incredibly close” with Davis and that relationship started early and out of necessity.

“My mom worked an early shift a lot of times and during the summer, when we were in football camp, I’d go to work with her and then walk down to Darrell’s house and meet him and he’d take me to practice,” Moxley, who now resides in Florida, recalled during a phone interview. “He was a guy who never let me get too high or too low. Before I started to develop my athleticism as I got older, I was a big, chubby kid who hadn’t put it all together. Coach Davis was one of the first people who saw I had potential to become the athlete that I did.”

Davis had that kind of eye. He didn’t give up on kids. He encouraged kids and that’s too often a trait that’s lost in coaching today.

“Darrell was a hell of a guy,” Moxley said. “He’s the kind of guy you hope to God you have the opportunity to meet and mean that much to someone over the years.”

Something tells me that Moxley isn’t alone in that opinion.

“Darrell was very demanding and very fair (as a coach),” Kovalick said. “He knew when to chew someone out and when to pat them on the back. Above all, he was very caring. He was a demanding, caring person.”

Even though he experienced a great deal of success as a coach, Davis never once had a hint of arrogance about him. A personal story, I have covered track and field for many years in the Ohio Valley. In 2001, Jennie Castle won a state championship in the 800 meter run. I sought Davis out for a comment shortly after the race.

As excited as he was for Jennie’s accomplishment, it wasn’t anything about him. He — very professionally — told me to reach out to Jennie’s father, David, for a comment because he had been the person who invested so much into Jennie finally reaching the top of the podium.

I shared that story with both Moxley and Kovalick earlier this week when I was talking to them for this column and neither was one bit surprised.

“That’s the kind of guy he was,” Kovalick said. “He cared about the kids as individuals. His ability to be demanding at one moment and then a totally caring person in the next moment was definitely one of his special attributes.”

Moxley called Davis a “fantastic team guy,” pointing out that because of Davis’ ability to connect with everyone — regardless of talent, background, upbringing, etc.

“He was a heck of a father figure and mentor for some guys if their home life wasn’t as good as some others,” Moxley said. “He had a special, unique gift because he knew all kids would screw up and some more than others. But, he was good at keeping you between the curbs. If you’d get off path, he’d gently get you back between the curbs. He was good at relating his life lessons to the kids he coached.”

Moxley, who just recently lost his college coach Earle Bruce, admitted regret that he’s not been able to get back to the Ohio Valley more often. However, when he did get back to Belmont County, a stop at Davis’ house was always on the agenda.

“I spent a lot of time with him over the years,” Moxley said. “You have to think … in a small school like Barnesville, I saw him all summer in the weight room, all through football season and then during wrestling season. He was always keeping me moving and going.”

Though the two didn’t see each other as Moxley had wished, the two communicated often. They’d actually sort of changed roles. It wasn’t as much player and coach or teacher and pupil, but it was like a couple of colleagues working together.

According to Moxley, he and Davis would talk often about football and more specifically offensive line play.

“He and I would share things,” Moxley said. “He played football back in the days when it was more of a veer-type football and not as much read option, so the game as changed. And he’d pick my brain about the new techniques and things I tried.”

Davis had returned to the sidelines as an assistant coach at Buckeye Trail, working under Donnie Kerns.

Davis certainly has a resume that’s worthy of OVAC Hall of Fame discussion when you consider on top of the state championship in wrestling and state runnerup in girls’ track, he directed Shamrock teams to a 10 conference titles. Of those, six came in girls’ track. His grapplers won the overall title at the OVAC Tournament in 1985. They also claimed two other class titles in the tournament and one dual-meet crown. His wrestling contributions and accomplishments helped to earn him the prestigious Mr. Mat in 2014.

While those accomplishments are nice, they won’t be what defines Davis’ coaching career. The relationships and friendships that have become so evident will long outlast any championship or athletic achievement.

Darrell may not be in the OVAC Hall of Fame (yet), but he’s certainly a member of the good guy’s hall of fame … and he got there on the first ballot.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com or via at twitter.com/TLSportsSeth