Anthony Davis (running back)

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Anthony Davis
Date of birth	September 8, 1952
Place of birth	Huntsville, Texas
Position(s)	Running Back
College	USC
NFL Draft	1975 / Round 2/ Pick 37
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1975 1976 1977 1978 1978 1983	Southern California Sun (WFL) Toronto Argonauts (CFL) Tampa Bay Buccaneers Houston Oilers Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Express (USFL)
College Hall of Fame

Anthony Davis (born May 21, 1952) known as AD, was an American football running back.

Contents 1 College career 2 Professional career 3 Personal 4 External links

[edit] College career

He was a college football All-American in 1974, led the USC Trojans in rushing three years and once scored a school single game record of six touchdowns against Notre Dame. He also was pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine three times, including one foldout. In 1974 Heisman voting, Davis came in second only to Archie Griffin.

In his senior year (1974) he was a unanimous All-American selection for a third time. Davis was also an All-Star for three seasons in the Pacific Eight Conference. In 1974, he lifted his team from a 24-7 halftime deficit to defeat Notre Dame 55-24, including scoring on a 102-yard kickoff return. He was also the first Pac 8 player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons – 1,191 in 1972; 1,112 in 1973 and 1,469 in 1974. In all he carried the ball 784 times for 3,772 yards and 44 touchdowns.

The Notre Dame vs. USC game on November 27, 2004 was titled the "Anthony Davis Day," in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the record-breaking game.

Davis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 6, 2005 in New York City. He was enshrined on August 12, 2006 in South Bend, Indiana.

[edit] Professional career

After graduation Davis was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League in the 2nd round of the 1975 draft.

In 1975 Davis opted to play for the Southern California Sun of the upstart World Football League. He led the WFL in rushing with 1,200 yards on 239 carries and 16 touchdowns at the time of its demise. He also caught 40 passes for 381 yards and one TD, while on kick-off returns he ran back 9 for 235 yards and one TD. In all, he scored 18 TDs in the WFL for 133 points. His 16 touchdowns for rushing over 12 games is a WFL record. He also threw the ball and completed 4 of 11 attempts for 102 yards and one TD.

Davis headed to the Canadian Football League in 1976, and became the league's first "million dollar man." His time with the Toronto Argonauts was not happy. His star ego clashed with CFL legend and Argo coach Russ Jackson's idea of a team player. He ended up rushing 104 times for 417 yards and catching 37 passes for 408 yards. He scored 4 TDs.

During the final game of the 1976 regular season, in a game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (in Hamilton, Ontario) Argo quarterback Matthew Reed, desperate to find an open receiver threw an incomplete pass to Davis. When Reed returned to the bench, assistant coach Joe Moss told him never to throw the ball to Davis again. Davis was called the most expensive passing decoy in the history of the league.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Davis in the 1976 expansion draft, with his old USC coach John McKay hoping to turn some new magic. Alas, Davis' NFL career would be a disappointment. In 11 games for the Bucs, Davis would rush 95 times for 297 yards (3.1 yard average) and catch 8 passes and score one touchdown. He would play 2 games for the Houston Oilers in 1978, and 2 games in 1979 for the Los Angeles Rams, rushing 3 times for 7 yards.

In 1983, four years after he last played, he has a short stint with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL, rushing 12 times for 32 yards.

[edit] Personal

Following a brief NFL career, Davis became a successful real estate developer and continues to serve as a motivational speaker for youth in Irvine, California where he currently resides. Davis underwent gastric bypass surgery for weight loss on March 11, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Anthony Davis Profile at USC Legends