HU's 'human calculator' crunches the numbers

HAMPTON, Virginia — The one and only time he choked came on the big stage.

It was last year at Hampton University's freshman talent show, and linebacker Jayso'n Davidson was asked to demonstrate why he is called "the human calculator." You see, Davidson can take any pair of two-digit numbers and multiply them in his head, usually within three or four seconds.

But when Pirates coach Connell Maynor called out two numbers, Davidson froze. Or, as he put it, "my brain died on me."

Wednesday afternoon, with video rolling and an audience watching, he got another shot — in the same team meeting room where his brain had died last fall. This time, he and Maynor were side by side. The coach had the advantage of pen and paper. The player had only his brain.

The first problem was 36 times 12. Before Maynor had even drawn the line under the 12, Davidson answered 432.

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