John Davis (American football)
Encyclopedia
John Henry Davis is a former American football
offensive lineman in the National Football League
, mainly for the Buffalo Bills
. He played in Super Bowl XXV
, Super Bowl XXVII
, and Super Bowl XXVIII
. He was also with the Bills for Super Bowl XXVI
, but did not play in the game due to a knee injury.
in 1983. Davis was a four-year letterman in football
and awarded Gilmer High School's best defensive player in 1981 and served as the team captain
in 1982. In basketball
, he received best defensive player his sophomore year, was the leading scorer, leading rebounder
, and most valuable player
his junior year. In 1982, he was selected as the Georgia High School Association
AA Lineman of the Year, and First Team All-State selection in football and basketball.
, where he was a four-year starter
on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
team. In 1983, he was selected to the Freshman All-American Football Team. He was awarded the Sports Illustrated
National Offensive
Player of the Week for his play in a victory over Clemson
and earned a tag as "The Refrigerator Mover" for his outstanding performance against All-American William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
In 1985, he was selected as an All-American at lineman by The Sporting News
and was awarded the Atlanta Athletic Club
Southeastern Lineman of the Year. In his senior season in 1986, Davis was an All-ACC
selection and Scripps-Howard All-American. Following his final season at Georgia Tech
, he was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Football Classic
and Japan Bowl All-Star Games. Davis was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
in the 1987 NFL Draft
. He played for the Oilers from 1987 to 1989, and then went on to play for the Buffalo Bills from 1989 to 1994. Davis was a member of four Super Bowl
teams with Buffalo before retiring in 1994. He started at right guard in Super Bowl XXV
, missed Super Bowl XXVI
due to a knee injury, played in Super Bowl XXVII
, and started at left guard in Super Bowl XXVIII
. He was awarded the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award
in 1993 - this award is given "to honor one player from each NFL team who, in the eyes of his teammates, exemplified a commitment to sportsmanship and courage".
patients with hospice care.
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...
offensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, mainly for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played in Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
, Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
, and Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football...
. He was also with the Bills for Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
, but did not play in the game due to a knee injury.
High school
Davis graduated from Gilmer High School in Gilmer County, GeorgiaGilmer County, Georgia
Gilmer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 3, 1832 and was named for George Rockingham Gilmer. As of 2000, the population was 23,456. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,389...
in 1983. Davis was a four-year 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....
and awarded Gilmer High School's best defensive player in 1981 and served as the team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in 1982. In 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...
, he received best defensive player his sophomore year, was the leading scorer, leading rebounder
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
, and most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
his junior year. In 1982, he was selected as the Georgia High School Association
Georgia High School Association
The Georgia High School Association governs athletic and club events for member high schools in Georgia, USA. The GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association comprises 437 public and private high schools...
AA Lineman of the Year, and First Team All-State selection in football and basketball.
College
Davis attended the Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, where he was a four-year starter
Starting 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...
on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
team. In 1983, he was selected to the Freshman All-American Football Team. He was awarded the Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
National Offensive
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
Player of the Week for his play in a victory over Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
and earned a tag as "The Refrigerator Mover" for his outstanding performance against All-American William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
In 1985, he was selected as an All-American at lineman by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
and was awarded the Atlanta Athletic Club
Atlanta Athletic Club
The Atlanta Athletic Club , founded in 1898, is a world-renowned private athletic club in Johns Creek, Georgia, a suburb 23 miles north of Atlanta. The original home of the club was a 10-story building located on Carnegie Way, and in 1904 a golf course was built on Atlanta's East Lake property...
Southeastern Lineman of the Year. In his senior season in 1986, Davis was an All-ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
selection and Scripps-Howard All-American. Following his final season at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, he was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Football Classic
Blue-Gray Football Classic
The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama usually on Christmas Day. It was begun in 1939 and held annually through 2001 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The game was not contested in 2002 and was subsequently revived in 2003 in...
and Japan Bowl All-Star Games. Davis was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
Pro career
His pro football career began when he was drafted by the Houston OilersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the 1987 NFL Draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
. He played for the Oilers from 1987 to 1989, and then went on to play for the Buffalo Bills from 1989 to 1994. Davis was a member of four Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
teams with Buffalo before retiring in 1994. He started at right guard in Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
, missed Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
due to a knee injury, played in Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
, and started at left guard in Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football...
. He was awarded the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award
Ed Block Courage Award
The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to selected players in the National Football League , who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a well-liked humanitarian and trainer for the Baltimore Colts, the...
in 1993 - this award is given "to honor one player from each NFL team who, in the eyes of his teammates, exemplified a commitment to sportsmanship and courage".
Outside Football
Davis founded the John Davis Georgia Mountains Hospice Golf Classic which benefits North GeorgiaNorth Georgia
North Georgia is the hilly to mountainous northern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of North Georgia were often scenes of important events in the history of Georgia...
patients with hospice care.