Clarence Davis

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Clarence Davis
Date of birth	June 28, 1949
Place of birth	Birmingham, Alabama
Position(s)	RB
College	Southern California
NFL Draft	1971 / Round 4 / Pick 97
Statistics	DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1971-1978	Oakland Raiders

Clarence Davis (born June 28, 1949 in Birmingham, AL) is a former american football Running Back who played with the National Football League Oakland Raiders from 1971 to 1978.

[edit] College career

Davis graduated from the University of Southern California and was a 1969 All-American. Davis played at East Los Angeles College and Washington High School in Los Angeles prior to that.

[edit] Professional career

In Super Bowl XI, he played a key role in the Raiders' 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he rushed 16 times for 137 yards, an average of 8.6 yards. Davis, who had been plagued by a knee injury for three years, had runs of 20, 35, 13, 18, and 16 yards, part of a Raiders team that gained for 429 yards,a Super Bowl record at the time.

Clarence Davis' catch in a Sea of Hands ended one of the greatest games of all-time. This was in a Raiders game against the Miami Dolphins in the 1974 NFL Playoffs. With 4:54 to play, Kenny Stabler completed a 72 yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch. Branch went to the ground to make the catch, but being untouched by Dolphin defenders, he popped upright and ran the remaining 27 yards to complete the play. With 4:37 to go, the score was Raiders 21, Dolphins 19. A mere two minutes later, Miami had responded with a touchdown that gave them the lead again by five. With two minutes left in the game, the Raiders had one last chance. Stabler drove the Raiders back down the field. With the fans going wild, and the defense closing in, Stabler pitched the ball toward the left side of the end zone where running back Clarence Davis was trying to break free of the Dolphins defense. In a "sea of hands" Davis leapt above the white jerseys and grabbed onto the ball with 24 seconds left on the clock. This 28-26 victory, with a combined three touchdowns scored by both teams in the final 4:37, made this Raiders comeback one of the most unforgettable in Dolphins-Raiders history.

The irony of the "Sea of Hands" catch lied in the nickname teammates had bestowed on Davis: "Hands of Wood". For his supposed inability to catch balls out of the backfield.

http://www.raiders.com/history/gm3.jsp