From
Tecumseh, Nebraska, southeast of
Lincoln, Davis was Osborne's first 1,000-yard rusher (as a sophomore in
1973) and left as the Cornhuskers' all-time leading rusher. He was the
most valuable player in two of college football's major
bowl games in the same calendar year (
1974); the
Cotton Bowl win over the
Texas Longhorns (19–3) on
New Year's Day as a sophomore, and
Sugar Bowl win on
New Year's Eve over the
Florida Gators (13–10). He was elected to the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. In the
1976 NFL draft, Davis was selected in the
fourth round (106th overall) by the
Cincinnati Bengals. He played six seasons in the NFL, three each for the Bengals (
1976–
1978) and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (
1979–
1981). In his second year in
1977, Davis was the Bengals' team MVP, selected by a vote of players and fans. He also played one season (
1983) for the
Boston Breakers of the
USFL. After his retirement as a player, Davis worked as a football assistant at Nebraska, coached high school football in
Colorado, and worked in business development in the oil & gas industry. He was later an advocate who worked in communication with
Congress to address issues prevalent to retired NFL players. Davis died from complications of Parkinson's disease on April 5, 2026, at the age of 73. ==References==