- Terrell Davis
caption=Terrell Davis autographs Broncos Memorabilia.
position=Running back
number=30
birthdate=birth date and age|1972|10|28San Diego, California
debutyear=1995
finalyear=2001
draftyear=1995
draftround=6
draftpick=196
college=Long Beach State
Georgia
teams=
*Denver Broncos (1995-2002)
stat1label=Rushing Yards
stat1value=7,607
stat2label=Average
stat2value=4.6
stat3label=RushingTouchdown s
stat3value=60
nfl=DAV766905
highlights=
* 3xPro Bowl selection (1996, 1997, 1998)
* 4xAll-Pro selection (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)
*NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
* 1998NFL MVP
* 1998PFWA NFL MVP
* 2xNFL Offensive Player of the Year (1996, 1998)
* 1996UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
* 1997Super Bowl MVP
* 2xSuper Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)
* 1999Espy Award (NFL player)Terrell Lamar Davis (born
October 28 ,1972 in San Diego,California ) is a formerAmerican football running back who played for theDenver Broncos of theNational Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round (196th pick overall) of the1995 NFL Draft . Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing yards. When he played, he was often referred to as "T.D.", by players, fans and the media. The phrase, "T.D. for T.D.," was frequently used, as well (Davis' initials, T.D., are also an abbreviation for "touchdown").Early life
Son of Joe and Kateree Davis, Terrell was the youngest of six children, (all boys) and grew up in
San Diego, California . He picked up the game of football at the age of seven when he played for the local Pop Warner league. While there, he was a dominant force at running back, earning him thenickname "Boss Hogg". To earnmoney , Terrell was apaperboy and delivered the "San Diego Union-Tribune " from the age of five to his sophomore year of high school. Terrell didn't play football again until his junior year ofhigh school after he transferred from Morse High School to Lincoln Prep (the same high school fellowSuper Bowl MVP ,Marcus Allen attended). As a junior, he was listed as a fourth string running back, and decided to playnose tackle to get playing time. In his senior year, the coaches gave him a chance at fullback, in a three back formation. He was also given playing time in other positions, including kicker, and helped lead his team to a 12-2 record. Terrell also set the Lincoln Prep record in thediscus throw as a member of the track team. After graduation, Terrell went on to play football atLong Beach State University . His brother Reggie Webb was a tailback there before him, and he persuaded the school to grant Terrell ascholarship . "TD: Dreams in Motion" by Terrell Davis & Adam Schefter (HarperTorch 1999)]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 tobudget 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. TheUniversity of Georgia and theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) encouraged Davis to join their teams. Davis' first choice was UCLA, but since they didn't offer him ascholarship , he chose Georgia. During his first season at Georgia, Davis played backup toGarrison Hearst , one of the leading rushers incollege football and a candidate for theHeisman 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 hishamstring muscle against Tennessee early in the season, which took him out of the lineup for three games. Davis claims coachRay 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 theBlue-Gray Football Classic game, after another senior running back couldn't play. Davis' reputation for being injury-prone hurt his standing in theNFL draft , along with the fact that Coach Goff denied scouts game film of Davis. Davis graduated from the University of Georgia with aBachelor of Science Degree inConsumer Economics .Denver Broncos
In 1995, then newly-appointed Denver Broncos head coach
Mike Shanahan drafted Terrell 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 even 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 ofspecial team s. Davis kept improving with each pre-season game and was promoted to 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 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 hisrookie 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 rushingtouchdown s 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.uper Bowl XXXII
Davis was instrumental in the Broncos postseason wins during the 1997 season and their victory over the
Green Bay Packers inSuper Bowl XXXII . In their Wild Card playoff game against theJacksonville Jaguars , Davis set franchise records with the most carries (31), rushing yards (184) and rushing touchdowns (2). Then, against the Kansas City Chiefs, the 1997 AFC West champions, Davis rushed for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries, vaulting Denver to a 14-10 victory and into the AFC Championship game against thePittsburgh Steelers . Against Pittsburgh, Davis posted his third straight 100-yard game, rushing for 139 yards and scoring his 5th postseason touchdown. His efforts assisted the Broncos to victory and launched him into second place for most rushing yards in a single postseason.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. Davis, who has suffered from
migraine headache s, accomplished all this despite having to sit out the second quarter as a result of one.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.uper 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 theAtlanta Falcons inSuper 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.Terrell Davis was nominated 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 andmedial collateral ligament of his right knee while trying to make a tackle on an interception thrown against theNew York Jets , during the fourth game of the season. This injury kept him out for the remainder of the year.USATODAY.com, [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/broncos/2002-08-18-davis-retires.htm Davis Says Goodbye] ]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
knee s.Davis retired during the preseason of 2002. He walked through the tunnel in
uniform for the final time during a preseason Denver-San Francisco matchup held atInvesco Field at Mile High . To astanding 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 oninjured reserve , ending his season and effectively ending his career.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) andEric 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 forESPN 's All-Time 40-ManSuper 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 is also one of two Broncos (the other being John Elway) to be 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 " by989 Sports . He also made an appearance in "Madden NFL 2006 ", serving as the player's mentor in the new NFL Superstar Mode.Recognition
In 2004, Davis was inducted into the
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame . coloradosports.com, [http://www.coloradosports.org/themuseum.cfm Colorado Sports Hall of Fame] ]Davis was one of the semifinalists for the 2007
Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.espn.com, [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2664806 Matthews, Davis and McDaniel make Hall semifinalist list] ]On
July 27 ,2007 , it was announced that Davis would be inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.denverbroncos.com, [http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=6988] ] His induction ceremony took place atInvesco Field at Mile High onSeptember 23 ,2007 , in a Broncos home game against theJacksonville Jaguars .Television
Davis currently serves as an analyst on the
NFL Network 's "NFL Total Access " to give a player's perspective on NFL issues.NFL Total Access, [http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/total_access NFL Total Access] ]Davis appeared on "
Sesame Street " in a skit withElmo and a talking football.sesameworkshop.org, [http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/tv/stars/article.php?contentId=35140 Celebrity Guest rub shoulders with Big Bird and friends] ] Elmo called Davis "the man" and Davis responded, "Thank you, thank you. I try!" It was revealed on "" that he was supposed to film the episode after a game against theNew York Giants inNew York City . However, instead, he had to fly back toDenver 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 starsShannon Sharpe , Tim Brown,Hardy Nickerson andTony Siragusa . The episode originally aired onOctober 21 ,2000 .Davis appeared on an episode of "Sister, Sister" at the twins' graduation to give a speech.
Davis was mentioned in "
Ally McBeal " episode 2.19, "Civil Wars." Georgia Thomas asks the witness, "Who does Terrell Davis play for?"Davis appeared on the August 29, 2008 episode of "
The Colbert Report " to analyze the acceptance speech given by U.S. Democratic Party nomineeBarack Obama atInvesco 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. [ [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/07/23/gold.club.trial/index.html CNN.com - NBA star Ewing testifies at strip club trial - July 24, 2001 ] ] Employee Jana Pelnis testified that she had sex with Davis in the club. Kaplan later pleaded guilty and was fined $5 million. [ [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/08/02/gold.club/index.html CNN.com - Strip club boss cops plea in rackets trial - August 3, 2001 ] ] A sentence of three years in jail was also put on the table, but Kaplan instead received a sentence of 16 months and 400 hours of community service. [ [http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/01/08/gold.club.sentencing/ CNN.com - Ex-Gold Club owner gets 16 months - January 8, 2002 ] ] 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 ofcontract over its refusal to defend him in a lawsuit related to a tussle at theHollywood Roosevelt Hotel . Ajudge 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 aparty at the hotel's Tropicana Bar in October 2005. Davis said he suffered a bruisedneck and damage to a surgically repairedhip .denverpost.com, [http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_5094417 Terrell Settles Insurance Lawsuit] ]Career rushing statistics
Regular season
Post season
References
External links
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* http://www.answers.com/topic/terrell-davis
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