Don Davis (American football)
Encyclopedia
Donald Earl Davis Jr. is a former American football
player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots
.
in Olathe, Kansas
, and was a student and a letterman in football
, basketball
, and track & field
. In football, as a senior, he was a first team All-League selection and a second team All-Metropolitan selection.
for the University of Kansas
, and finished his superb career with 238 tackles
(20 tackles for loss) and 9.5 sacks
. Don Davis graduated with a degree in Human Development in 1995.
in 1996 season
by the New Orleans Saints
. Davis played with the Saints until the middle of the 1998 season
when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. He would remain with Tampa Bay through the 2000 season
. In 2001
Davis began play for the St. Louis Rams
, where he would remain through 2002
. Then in 2003
Davis was signed by his final team, the New England Patriots
, who he would stay with for four seasons. He earned 2 super bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
, Davis retired and joined the Patriots' strength and conditioning coaches as an assistant coach. He left the organization prior to the 2008
season to pursue Christian ministry. He remained with the Patriots as the team chaplain.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and the current Team Chaplain for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
.
High school years
Davis attended Olathe South High SchoolOlathe South High School
Olathe South High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Olathe, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of four high schools in the Olathe Unified School District . Olathe South High School was recognized as a National School of Excellence for the...
in Olathe, Kansas
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
, and was a student and a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track & field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, as a senior, he was a first team All-League selection and a second team All-Metropolitan selection.
College years
Davis was a three-year starterStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
for the University of Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
, and finished his superb career with 238 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
(20 tackles for loss) and 9.5 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
. Don Davis graduated with a degree in Human Development in 1995.
NFL playing career
He was signed as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1996 season
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Davis played with the Saints until the middle of the 1998 season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. He would remain with Tampa Bay through the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
. In 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
Davis began play for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, where he would remain through 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
. Then in 2003
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
Davis was signed by his final team, the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, who he would stay with for four seasons. He earned 2 super bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
Coaching career
Following the 2006 season2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
, Davis retired and joined the Patriots' strength and conditioning coaches as an assistant coach. He left the organization prior to the 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...
season to pursue Christian ministry. He remained with the Patriots as the team chaplain.