Born in Queensland to an English mother and a Jamaican father, Joe Davidson was perhaps the only soccer player of West Indian descent playing in Sydney. After moving to Sydney at an early age, Davidson developed into a lighting fast outside right for the Pyrmont club. One of the most exciting players in Sydney in the early 1900s, Davidson was a great provider but could score goals as well.
He played in the Pyrmont team that won four premierships in five years between 1905 and 1909. He was the player of the match in Pyrmont’s Gardiner Cup triumph at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1907. Davidson won representative honours for Sydney against Newcastle and Western Australia in 1908 and 1909 respectively. Off the field, Davidson represented his club at association meetings.
In 1917 at the age of 33, Davidson enlisted with a Sportsman’s battalion. He served on the Western Front and after fracturing a bone in his wrist was repatriated to Australia, arriving home in December 1918. After the war Davidson became a competent referee. He was a fine singer and entertainer and his performances were the highlight of many an after-match function.
A wharf labourer for most of his adult life, Davidson died of a seizure while unloading a ship in Sydney Harbour in 1947.