Terrell Davis: Biography from Answers.com

football player

Personal Information

Born October 28, 1972, in San Diego, CA.
Education: University of Georgia, B.A., 1995.

Career

Starred at six positions on football team in high school; set high school record in discus throw; received football scholarship from Long Beach State University, 1990; transferred to the University of Georgia, 1991; drafted in sixth round of NFL draft by Denver Broncos, 1995; became lowest drafted player in National Football League (NFL) history to rush for over 1,000 yards in rookie year (1,117 yards), 1995; was top rusher in American Football Conference (AFC) and second leading rusher in NFL, 1996; led NFL in first downs (108), 1996; set single-game record for most rushing touchdowns (3) in Super Bowl, 1998; established The Terrell Davis Foundation for Migraine Education and Treatment, 1998.

Life's Work

Although Terrell Davis was the twenty-first college running back to be drafted by a National Football League (NFL) team in 1995, he quickly established himself as one of professional football's leading rushers during his rookie season. His output on the gridiron improved steadily during each of his first three years in the league, reaching a career peak in 1998 when his stellar performance helped Denver secure its first Super Bowl victory. "There's not an area in his game that isn't strong," remarked Denver coach Mike Shanahan in an article in Sports Illustrated that highlighted Davis's reputation for having soft hands as well as being an excellent blocker.

Davis got a relatively late start in football, not joining a team until his junior year in high school after he transferred from Morse High School to Lincoln Prep in San Diego, California. By his senior year he was a star, excelling at fullback, nose guard, kicker, and three other positions on a team that he helped lead to a 12-2 record. He also set the Lincoln Prep record in the discus throw as a member of the track team. Davis's older brother, Reggie Webb, was a tailback at Long Beach State University at the time, and he persuaded his school to grant Davis a scholarship.

During his career at Long Beach State, Davis flourished under the guidance of coaching legend George Allen, who had many successful years at the helm of the NFL's Washington Redskins. Near the end of Davis's freshman year, however, Allen died of heart failure and Long Beach State eliminated its football program due to budget concerns. The University of Georgia and the University of California at Los Angeles encouraged Davis to join their teams, and Davis chose Georgia. During his first season there, Davis played in the shadow of Garrison Hearst, one of the leading rushers in college football and a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. After Hearst graduated in 1992, Davis became Georgia's top running back and logged 824 rushing yards the following season.

Davis's senior season at Georgia got off to a rocky start when he aggravated a tear in his hamstring muscle against Tennessee early in the season, which took him out of the lineup for three games. His absence decreased his overall rushing total to 445 yards while also giving Davis a reputation for being injury-prone, according to Austin Murphy in a 1996 issue of Sports Illustrated. This reputation hurt Davis's standing in the NFL draft. Eventually, the Denver Broncos selected him in the sixth round. Following his selection, Davis remarked to the CNN/Sports Illustrated Web site, "I was surprised to be drafted, because in college I didn't have the stats."

Davis entered training camp in the summer of 1995 injury-free and determined to prove that he was an NFL-caliber player. His hard work paid off when the Broncos named him their starting running back for the season's opening game. With Davis at running back, the Broncos possessed the potent running attack that they had previously lacked. Davis started in 14 games during the 1995 season, carried the ball 237 times, averaged 4.7 yards per run, scored eight touchdowns, and finished his rookie season with a remarkable total of 1,117 rushing yards. His teammates selected him as their Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1995, and he was also voted to the All-Rookie Teams of Pro Football Weekly and Football News, two respected football periodicals.

Following his phenomenal rookie season, Davis signed a lucrative new five-year contract with the Broncos that was worth $6.8 million. He continued his success during the 1996 season. That year, he rushed for a total of 1,538 yards and set a Denver Broncos record for rushing touchdowns with 13. Davis also proved to be a threat as a receiver, catching 35 passes for 301 yards.

Continuing to improve his skills as a running back, Davis had his best year yet in 1997. He rushed for an amazing career-high total of 1,750 yards, which led the American Football Conference (AFC). He was also second in the AFC and in the NFL in both rushing attempts (369) and touchdowns (15). Davis's performance played a key role in Denver's journey to the Super Bowl, and his impressive statistics landed him in the Pro Bowl--the NFL's All-Star game--for the second consecutive season.

During the 1997 playoffs, Davis rushed for 581 yards and scored an NFL-record eight playoff touchdowns. These numbers earned Davis the all-time rushing record for a single season, eclipsing the previous record held by Eric Dickerson. In Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers, Davis rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 31-24 victory. Davis's performance was especially impressive considering that a hard tackle in the first quarter triggered a migraine headache that put him out of action for nearly half the game. According to People magazine, Davis had been plagued with migraine headaches since the age of seven when he began playing Pop Warner football. He usually avoided them by taking preventive medication before each game. In his autobiography TD: Dreams in Motion, Davis admitted that he had forgotten to take his medication on time before the Super Bowl. During the second half of the Super Bowl, however, Davis was able to return and rushed for almost 100 yards to help secure a victory for his team.

No other player had ever rushed for three touchdowns in a Super Bowl, and Davis's performance earned him Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. With typical modesty, Davis credited his offensive line and quarterback John Elway for helping him win the Most Valuable Player award. "Without them, I don't think any of this would be possible," Davis stated in a 1998 Shine article. "Me, I'm just a piece of the puzzle. I guess I lucked up and got this trophy today. It could have gone to any of those guys on offense."

During his superb career with the Denver Broncos, Davis has set 47 team records. In July of 1998, he became the NFL's highest-paid running back when he signed a nine-year contract with the Broncos worth $56.1 million, including a $11-million signing bonus. Denver had agreed to renegotiate Davis's contract if he had two consecutive seasons where he rushed for at least 1,500 yards. Davis fulfilled this requirement by rushing for 1,538 yards in 1996 and 1,750 yards in 1997. Barring serious injury, Davis seems destined to become one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

Awards

NFL Rookie of the Year, Football Digest, 1995; All-Rookie Team, Pro Football Weekly, Football News, 1995; AFC Rushing Crown, 1996, 1997; Pro Bowl selection, 1996, 1997; Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl XXXII, 1998.

Early life

In his senior year of high school, the coaches gave him a chance at fullback, in a three back formation. He was given playing time in other positions, including kicker, and helped lead his team to a 12-2 record. Davis set the Lincoln Prep record in the discus throw as a member of the track team. After graduation, Davis went on to play football at Long Beach State University. His brother Reggie Webb was a tailback there before him, and he persuaded the school to grant Davis a scholarship. ^[1]

College

At Long Beach State, Davis joined the football team that was coached by former Washington Redskins coach George Allen. The coaches didn't think he was ready to play, so he was redshirted his freshman year in order to give him an extra year of eligibility. Davis never got to play a real game for coach Allen, because Allen died after the end of 1990 season. Davis played the following season and rushed for 262 yards on 55 carries. Long Beach State eliminated its football program due to budget concerns at the end of the 1991 season, ending in a dismal 2–9 record. Davis wanted to continue playing, so he needed to find another school to transfer to. The University of Georgia and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) encouraged Davis to join their teams. Davis ended up choosing Georgia. During his first season at Georgia for the Bulldogs, Davis played backup to Garrison Hearst, one of the leading rushers in college football and a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. After Hearst graduated, Davis became the top running back during the 1993 season, and rushed for 824 yards on 167 carries. Davis' senior season at Georgia got off to a rocky start when he aggravated a tear in his hamstring muscle against Tennessee early in the season, which took him out of the lineup for three games. Davis claims coach Ray Goff never liked him and forced him to practice while injured, which led to his torn hamstring. Davis ran for only 445 yards on 67 carries that year, but in his last two games, he rushed for 113 and 121 yards respectively. Those totals got him invited to the Blue-Gray Football Classic game, after another senior running back couldn't play. Davis' reputation for being injury-prone hurt his standing in the NFL draft, along with the fact that Coach Goff denied scouts game film of Davis.^[1]

Davis graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Consumer Economics.

Denver Broncos

In 1995, newly-appointed Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan drafted Davis in the 6th Round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis entered training camp as the sixth string tailback and was a long shot to make the team. He managed to impress the Broncos coaching staff after his second pre-season game, most notably with a crushing hit as a member of special teams. Davis kept improving with each pre-season game and was promoted to starting running back for the season's opening game.^[1] With Davis at running back, the Broncos possessed the potent running attack that they had previously lacked. Davis started 14 games during the 1995 season, carrying the ball 237 times, averaging 4.7 yards per run, and scoring eight touchdowns. Davis finished his season with a total of 1,117 rushing yards, becoming the lowest drafted player to ever gain over 1,000 yards rushing in his rookie season.

In 1996, Davis signed a lucrative new five-year contract with the Broncos that was worth $6.8 million. That season, he rushed for a total of 1,538 yards and set a Denver Broncos record for rushing touchdowns with 13. The Broncos ended that season with a 13–3 record, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the best in the NFL that year.

Super Bowl XXXII

In the Super Bowl, Davis rushed for 157 yards, caught 2 passes for 8 yards, and became the first player in Super Bowl history ever to score 3 rushing touchdowns. This performance earned him MVP honors despite having to sit out the second quarter due to a migraine, an affliction he has suffered with most of his life.

Davis' 8 touchdowns in his three playoff games and the Super Bowl gave him a total of 48 points, the most ever scored in a single postseason. This record would stand until surpassed by kicker Adam Vinatieri's 49 points in the 2006–07 postseason.

Super Bowl XXXIII

In 1998, Davis rushed for 2,008 yards, then the third highest rushing total in history. This performance earned him league MVP honors, his third straight AFC rushing title, his first NFL rushing title, and his second time being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. At the end of the season, the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, with Davis recording 102 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards.

Super Bowl XXXIII was the last postseason game Davis would play in. In his 8 postseason games from 1996 to 1998, his numbers were staggering: 204 carries for 1,140 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 19 receptions for 131 yards. This included a streak of 7 consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards, all of which the Broncos won, breaking the previous record for consecutive 100 rushing yard postseason games held by John Riggins (6). Even in the sole playoff game in which Davis didn't gain 100 rushing yards, he still had an impressive performance, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown and catching 7 passes for 27 yards.

Davis was sent to the Pro Bowl in the 1996, ’97, and ’98 seasons. Nicknamed “TD,” Davis popularized the “Mile High Salute,” a military-style salute given to fans and teammates in celebration of a touchdown.

Later career

After the 1998 season, Davis was plagued with injuries and saw action infrequently. In 1999, Davis tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament of his right knee while trying to make a tackle on an interception thrown against the New York Jets, during the fourth game of the season. This injury kept him out for the remainder of the year.^[2]

In 2000, Davis was sidelined for all but five games because of a stress reaction injury in his lower leg. In 2001, he only played in eight games because of arthroscopic surgery on both knees.^[2]

Davis retired during the preseason of 2002. He walked through the tunnel in uniform for the final time during a preseason Denver-San Francisco 49ers matchup held at Invesco Field at Mile High. To a standing ovation, he gave a mile-high salute to the fans and was hugged by his teammates. After walking to midfield as the lone Broncos player at the coin toss, Davis retreated to the sideline. He spent the second half in street clothes. The following week, upon his request, he was placed on injured reserve, ending his season and effectively ending his career.^[2]

Through his first four seasons, Davis rushed for 6,413 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 56 touchdowns. Among the 24 modern-era Hall of Fame halfbacks and fullbacks, only Earl Campbell (6,457, 4.6 yards per carry) and Eric Dickerson (6,968, 4.8 yards per carry) had more rushing yards during their first four seasons; no member of the Hall of Fame matched Davis’ first-four-season 56 rushing touchdowns. Davis was selected for ESPN's All-Time 40-Man Super Bowl roster as a running back for his performances in Super Bowls XXXII & XXXIII.

Overall, Davis finished his 7 NFL seasons with 7,607 rushing yards, 169 receptions for 1,280 yards, and 65 touchdowns (60 rushing and 5 receiving). He and John Elway are the only two Broncos named league MVP.

Off the field

Davis currently resides in Temecula, California. He wrote an autobiography titled "TD: Dreams in Motion" after his first Super Bowl victory. A chapter was later added to the book covering his NFL MVP season and second championship win.

Davis was on the cover of the video game NFL GameDay 99 by 989 Sports. He made an appearance in Madden NFL 2006, serving as the player's mentor in the new NFL Superstar Mode and adds his voice to the game.

Recognition

In 2004, Davis was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.^[3]

Davis was one of the semifinalists for the 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.^[4]

On July 27, 2007, it was announced that Davis would be inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.^[5] His induction ceremony took place at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 23, 2007, in a Broncos home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In 2006, Davis was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame. ^[6]

Television

Davis currently serves as an analyst on the NFL Network's NFL Total Access to give a player's perspective on NFL issues.^[7]

Davis appeared on Sesame Street in a skit with Elmo and a talking football.^[8] Elmo called Davis "the man" and Davis responded, "Thank you, thank you. I try!" It was revealed on America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions that he was supposed to film the episode after a game against the New York Giants in New York City. However, instead, he had to fly back to Denver to practice after the game and then fly back to New York to film the episode.

Davis guest-starred on Disney Channel's The Jersey, in an episode called "They Say It's Your Birthday" along with other sports stars Shannon Sharpe, Tim Brown, Hardy Nickerson and Tony Siragusa. The episode originally aired on October 21, 2000.

Davis appeared on an episode of Sister, Sister at the twins' graduation to give a speech.

Davis appeared on the August 29, 2008 episode of The Colbert Report to analyze the acceptance speech given by U.S. Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama at Invesco Field at Mile High a day earlier.

Legal disputes

In 2001, Davis was named in the Atlanta's Gold Club federal prostitution, fraud and racketeering trial. The owner, Steve Kaplan, initially denied accusations of arranging dancers for athletes, claiming that he was unaware of any sexual encounters.^[9] Employee Jana Pelnis testified that she had sex with Davis in the club. Kaplan later pleaded guilty and was fined $5 million.^[10] A sentence of three years in jail was put on the table, but Kaplan instead received a sentence of 16 months and 400 hours of community service.^[11] Davis was never charged with any criminal wrongdoing. However, Campbell Soups dropped him from their advertising shortly thereafter.

In September 2006, Davis filed a lawsuit against Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. for breach of contract over its refusal to defend him in a lawsuit related to a tussle at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. A judge dismissed Davis' suit against Liberty Mutual in January 2007 after both parties reached a settlement. In the lawsuit against the Roosevelt, Davis claimed he was roughed up by two bouncers during a party at the hotel's Tropicana Bar in October 2005. Davis said he suffered a bruised neck and damage to a surgically repaired hip.^[12]

Career rushing statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games	Rushing				Receiving
Year	Team	Games	Attempts	Yards	Y/A	TDs	Rec	Yards	Y/R	TDs
1995	Denver Broncos	14	237	1,117	4.7	7	49	367	7.5	1
1996	Denver Broncos	16	345	1,538	4.5	13	36	310	8.6	2
1997	Denver Broncos	15	369	1,750	4.7	15	42	287	6.8	0
1998	Denver Broncos	16	392	2,008	5.1	21	25	217	8.7	2
1999	Denver Broncos	4	67	211	3.1	2	3	26	8.7	0
2000	Denver Broncos	5	78	282	3.6	2	2	4	2.0	0
2001	Denver Broncos	11	167	701	4.2	0	12	69	5.8	0
Career	Denver Broncos	81	1655	7607	4.6	60	169	1280	7.6	5

Post season

Year	Team	Games	Attempts	Yards	Y/A	TDs
1996	Denver Broncos	1	14	91	6.5	1
1997	Denver Broncos	4	112	581	5.2	8
1998	Denver Broncos	3	78	468	6.0	3
Total	Denver Broncos	8	204	1140	5.6	12

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "TD: Dreams in Motion" by Terrell Davis & Adam Schefter (HarperTorch 1999)
^ ^a ^b ^c USATODAY.com,Davis Says Goodbye
^ coloradosports.com, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame
^ espn.com,Matthews, Davis and McDaniel make Hall semifinalist list
^ denverbroncos.com, [1]
^ sdhoc.com, San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum
^ NFL Total Access,NFL Total Access
^ sesameworkshop.org, Celebrity Guest rub shoulders with Big Bird and friends
^ CNN.com - NBA star Ewing testifies at strip club trial - July 24, 2001
^ CNN.com - Strip club boss cops plea in rackets trial - August 3, 2001
^ CNN.com - Ex-Gold Club owner gets 16 months - January 8, 2002
^ denverpost.com,Terrell Settles Insurance Lawsuit

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Desmond Howard	NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl XXXII, 1998	Succeeded by John Elway
Preceded by Brett Favre Barry Sanders	AP NFL Most Valuable Player 1998 season	Succeeded by Kurt Warner
Preceded by Barry Sanders	Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1998	Succeeded by Marshall Faulk
Preceded by Brett Favre	Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1996	Succeeded by Barry Sanders

Sporting positions
Preceded by Leonard Russell	Denver Broncos Starting Running Back 1995-1998	Succeeded by Olandis Gary

v • d • e Denver Broncos 1995 NFL Draft selections

Jamie Brown • Ken Brown • Phil Yeboah-Kodie • Fritz Fequeire • Terrell Davis • Steve Russ • Byron Chamberlain

Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXII Champions

Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXIII Champions

Super Bowl MVP Award

National Football League | NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team

NFL MVP Award from the Associated Press

NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award from the Associated Press

1972: Brown • 1973: Simpson • 1974: Stabler • 1975: Tarkenton • 1976: Jones • 1977: Payton • 1978: Campbell • 1979: Campbell (x2) • 1980: Campbell (x3) • 1981: Anderson • 1982: Fouts • 1983: Theismann • 1984: Marino • 1985: Allen • 1986: Dickerson • 1987: Rice • 1988: Craig • 1989: Montana • 1990: Moon • 1991: Thomas • 1992: Young • 1993: Rice (x2) • 1994: Sanders • 1995: Favre • 1996: Davis • 1997: Sanders (x2) • 1998: Davis (x2) • 1999: Faulk • 2000: Faulk (x2) • 2001: Faulk (x3) • 2002: Holmes • 2003: Lewis • 2004: Manning • 2005: Alexander • 2006: Tomlinson • 2007: Brady • 2008: Brees

v • d • e National Football League Running Backs With 2,000 Rushing Yards in a Single Season

1973: Simpson • 1984: Dickerson • 1997: Sanders • 1998: Davis • 2003: Lewis

v • d • e NFL Total Access

Hosts	Paul Burmeister (2004-present) · Fran Charles (2006-present) · Spero Dedes (2006-present) · Rich Eisen (2003-present) · Alex Flanagan (2006-present) · Derrin Horton (2003-present) · Bill Patrick (2003-2004)

Analysts	Marcus Allen (2005) · Brian Baldinger (2003-present) · Bobby Beathard (2007) · Charles Davis (2007-present) · Butch Davis (2005-2006) · Terrell Davis (2003-present) · Jamie Dukes (2006-present) · Marshall Faulk (2006-present) · Seth Joyner (2003-2005) · Lincoln Kennedy (2003-2006) · Steve Mariucci (2006-present) · Mike Mayock (2003-present) · Jim E. Mora (2003-present) · Ken Norton (2003-2004) · Glenn Parker (2003-2004) · Dan Reeves (2003-2005) · Deion Sanders (2006-present) · Sterling Sharpe (2003-present) · Emmitt Smith (2005) · Tom Waddle (2007-present) · Solomon Wilcots (2003-present) · Rod Woodson (2003-present)

Reporters	Jennifer Allen (2004-present) · Michelle Beisner (2006-present) · Scott Hanson (2006-present) · Kara Henderson (2004-present) · Adam Schefter (2003-2009) · Jason La Canfora (2009-present)

Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team (2009)

Offense: Elway (QB) • Davis (RB) • Little (RB) • McCaffrey (WR) • Smith (WR) • Sharpe (TE) • Lepsis (T) • Zimmerman (T) • Bishop (G) • Schlereth (G) • Nalen (C)
Defense: Fletcher (DE) • Jackson (DE) • Pryce (DT) • Carter (DT) • Mecklenburg (OLB) • Gradishar (ILB) • Jackson (OLB) • Bailey (CB) • Wright (CB) • Atwater (S) • Smith (S)
Special Teams: Upchurch (Ret.) • Elam (PK) • Rouen (P)

Persondata
NAME	Davis, Terrell
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Davis, Terrell Lamar
SHORT DESCRIPTION	former American football running back
DATE OF BIRTH	October 28, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH	San Diego, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

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