Mouse Davis
Encyclopedia
Darrel "Mouse" Davis is an American football
coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he is currently the wide receivers coach
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University
from 1975 to 1980, compiling a record of 42–24. He has also been a head coach with the Denver Gold
of the United States Football League
(1985), the New York/New Jersey Knights
of the World League of American Football
(1991–1992), and the Detroit Fury
(2001–2002) and the San Diego Riptide
(2003) of the Arena Football League
. A native of Washington, Davis grew up in Oregon
, where he started his coaching career as a high school football
coach. He helped to popularize the use of the run and shoot offense
.
in Palouse
on September 6, 1932. His family later moved to neighboring Oregon
and Davis lists Independence, Oregon
, as his hometown. Mouse gained his nickname from older brother Don while a freshman shortstop on the Central High School team in neighboring Monmouth, Oregon
. Despite his 4'10" (1.47 m) stature at the time, Mouse already excelled at sports. In 1955, he graduated from the Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University
) in neighboring Monmouth. There he played quarterback and halfback on three straight championship teams from 1952–54 under Coach Bill McArthur. Davis also played basketball and baseball at the college.
famous as a coach, revolutionizing football in the 1960s and 1970s. In developing his run and shoot offense, Davis espoused the theories of Glenn "Tiger" Ellison, football coach at Middletown High School
in Ohio
, who wrote the book Run & Shoot Football: Offense of the Future. Davis utilized the offense in a coaching career that included 15 years at the high school level in Oregon, at the college level, and professionally in the NFL, CFL, USFL, WLAF, and Arena League.
, culminating in a 1973 state championship at Hillsboro High School. That team went 11–1 and set school marks in seven team season offensive categories and 15 records overall. Davis also was head coach at Sunset
and Milwaukie
high schools in Oregon, building a combined 79–29 record among those three schools.
, where he coached from 1975 to 1980. While at Portland State from 1975 to 1980, and at each of his subsequent stops, he helped popularized the run and shoot offense
.
There he led the PSU football program to a 42–24 record over six seasons, averaged 38 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game. PSU led the nation in scoring three times. The unique passing game made stars out of Davis' two main quarterbacks, June Jones
and Neil Lomax
. In 1975, Jones, now the current Southern Methodist University and former University of Hawaii
head coach, threw for a Division II record 3,518 yards. Davis' next quarterback, Lomax, set NCAA records of 13,220 yards and 106 touchdowns in 42 games. Under Davis' direction, Portland State set 20 NCAA Division II offensive records in addition to the Vikings being named the NCAA's all-time point producers in 1980, scoring 541 points in 11 games for 49.2 points per game, along with 434.9 yards passing and 504.3 yards of total offense per game. After coaching at Portland State, Davis went on to coach at UC Berkeley
.
For the 2004–2006 seasons, Davis served as an assistant coach for Jones at Hawaii. The Warriors employed the run and shoot offense and averaged 559.2 yards of total offense, 46.9 points and produced a 10–3 record in 2006
. Hawaii led the nation in passing offense (441.3), total offense, scoring offense and pass efficiency (185.95). Then in February 2007, he returned to Portland State to serve as offensive coordinator for new PSU head coach Jerry Glanville
's staff. He retired at the age of 76 on June 1, 2009, but later returned to the University of Hawaii as an assistant coach on June 25, 2010.
Davis was an inaugural member of the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1997.
's Denver Gold
, the WLAF
's New York/New Jersey Knights
, and the Arena Football League's Detroit Fury
and the af2
's San Diego Riptide
. He was also an assistant coach with the NFL
's Atlanta Falcons
and Detroit Lions
and with the Toronto Argonauts
in the Canadian Football League
.
In 1982, Davis joined the Toronto Argonauts as offensive coordinator and turned the team into a contender instantly with his pass-happy club. Led by his tandem of QBs Condredge Holloway (Tennessee) and Joe Barnes (Texas Tech). They finished the regular season with a record of (9–6–1) Davis' Argos lost in the 70th Grey Cup in 1982 to the Warren Moon
-led Edmonton Eskimos to the score of 32–16.
Davis left the Argonauts prior to the 1983 season, however the team, using the offense he had installed, finished the regular season with a commanding (12–4) record and did win the 71st Grey Cup that year over the British Columbia Lions to the score of 18–17. It was their first championship in 31 years.
In 1984, Davis headed back to the USA to take the offensive coordinator job with the USFL expansion Houston Gamblers. His quarterback was a rookie from the University of Miami named Jim Kelly. The "Mouseketeers" offensive unit lit up the USFL in their first year of existence passing for 5,793 yards and 45 passing touchdowns - ending their expansion season with a (13–5) record. The Gamblers' offense became the first team in pro football history to have two receivers with over 100 receptions in a single season: Richard Johnson with 115 and Ricky Sanders with 101.
In 1985, Davis took his first head coaching job at the professional level when he took the rein
s of the Denver Gold, bringing his run-and-shoot offense to the Mile High City. He once again had a tandem of QBs in Vince Evans and Bob Gagliano. The Gold finished the season with its first playoff berth with an (11–7) mark but lost in the first round to the Memphis Showboats.
Davis was slated to become head coach of the St. Louis Lightning of the World Indoor Football League
in 1988, but the league dissolved before the season began.
1991 Davis took the head coaching job of the New York/New Jersey Knights of the WLAF. The 1991 season had Davis and the Knights go (5–5) and won the North American East Division. But they bowed out of the playoffs semifinal to the eventual champion London Monarchs. The following year saw their record improve to (6–4) and second place in the division but missed qualifying for the playoffs.
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...
coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he is currently the wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach
A wide receivers coach is a coach in charge of the wide receivers in gridiron football. The wide receivers coach typically operates under a team's offensive coordinator. This coach also typically resides in the coach's box on gameday, often accompanied by or in place of the offensive coordinator....
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
from 1975 to 1980, compiling a record of 42–24. He has also been a head coach with the Denver Gold
Denver Gold
The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
of the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
(1985), the New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights was a franchise in the World League of American Football for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. They played in the North American East division, which they won in the 1991 season. They were coached by Mouse Davis, an architect of the Run & Shoot offense.After 1992 the NFL ...
of the World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
(1991–1992), and the Detroit Fury
Detroit Fury
The Detroit Fury were an Arena Football League team. The team began play in 2001 and was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The team was co-owned by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons, along with...
(2001–2002) and the San Diego Riptide
San Diego Riptide
The San Diego Riptide is a defunct Arena Football League af2 team. The team played its home games at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.The team was originally coached by Cree Morris, then Mouse Davis and then Sean Ponder....
(2003) of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. A native of Washington, Davis grew up in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where he started his coaching career as a high school 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....
coach. He helped to popularize the use of the run and shoot offense
Run and shoot offense
The run and shoot offense is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses...
.
Early life
Davis was born in Eastern WashingtonEastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the portion of the U.S. state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane , the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the...
in Palouse
Palouse, Washington
Palouse is a city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 998 at the 2010 census. Palouse is named for the region of farmland in which it is situated, and was incorporated in 1888.-History:...
on September 6, 1932. His family later moved to neighboring Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Davis lists Independence, Oregon
Independence, Oregon
Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, as his hometown. Mouse gained his nickname from older brother Don while a freshman shortstop on the Central High School team in neighboring Monmouth, Oregon
Monmouth, Oregon
- History :Monmouth was settled in 1853 by a group of pioneers who made a point of allocating to build both a city and a "college under the auspices of the Christian Church" and proceeds from the sale of these lands were used to found Monmouth University. By the early 1880s the college fell on...
. Despite his 4'10" (1.47 m) stature at the time, Mouse already excelled at sports. In 1955, he graduated from the Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College...
) in neighboring Monmouth. There he played quarterback and halfback on three straight championship teams from 1952–54 under Coach Bill McArthur. Davis also played basketball and baseball at the college.
Coaching
Davis helped make the run and shoot offenseRun and shoot offense
The run and shoot offense is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses...
famous as a coach, revolutionizing football in the 1960s and 1970s. In developing his run and shoot offense, Davis espoused the theories of Glenn "Tiger" Ellison, football coach at Middletown High School
Middletown High School (Ohio)
Middletown High School is a public high school in Middletown, Ohio. It is the only public high school in the Middletown City School District.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, who wrote the book Run & Shoot Football: Offense of the Future. Davis utilized the offense in a coaching career that included 15 years at the high school level in Oregon, at the college level, and professionally in the NFL, CFL, USFL, WLAF, and Arena League.
High school
Davis spent 15 seasons coaching high school football in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, culminating in a 1973 state championship at Hillsboro High School. That team went 11–1 and set school marks in seven team season offensive categories and 15 records overall. Davis also was head coach at Sunset
Sunset High School (Portland)
Sunset High School is a public high school in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. The school currently offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme...
and Milwaukie
Milwaukie High School
Milwaukie High School is a public high school located in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. It is one of three high schools within the North Clackamas School District. The school mascot is the mustang, and its school colors are maroon and gold.- History :...
high schools in Oregon, building a combined 79–29 record among those three schools.
College
Mouse Davis then moved on to take the head coaching position at Portland State UniversityPortland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
, where he coached from 1975 to 1980. While at Portland State from 1975 to 1980, and at each of his subsequent stops, he helped popularized the run and shoot offense
Run and shoot offense
The run and shoot offense is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses...
.
There he led the PSU football program to a 42–24 record over six seasons, averaged 38 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game. PSU led the nation in scoring three times. The unique passing game made stars out of Davis' two main quarterbacks, June Jones
June Jones
June Sheldon Jones, III is the American football head coach for Southern Methodist University.-Playing career:Jones played the quarterback position on three college teams: Oregon , Hawaii , and Portland State . It is during his time at Portland State that he was introduced to the Run and Shoot...
and Neil Lomax
Neil Lomax
Neil Vincent Lomax is a former American football quarterback.-College career:Lomax was a standout college player at Portland State University, going from fifth-string freshman quarterback on partial scholarship to emergency starter to NCAA legend...
. In 1975, Jones, now the current Southern Methodist University and former University of Hawaii
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
head coach, threw for a Division II record 3,518 yards. Davis' next quarterback, Lomax, set NCAA records of 13,220 yards and 106 touchdowns in 42 games. Under Davis' direction, Portland State set 20 NCAA Division II offensive records in addition to the Vikings being named the NCAA's all-time point producers in 1980, scoring 541 points in 11 games for 49.2 points per game, along with 434.9 yards passing and 504.3 yards of total offense per game. After coaching at Portland State, Davis went on to coach at UC Berkeley
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
.
For the 2004–2006 seasons, Davis served as an assistant coach for Jones at Hawaii. The Warriors employed the run and shoot offense and averaged 559.2 yards of total offense, 46.9 points and produced a 10–3 record in 2006
2006 Hawaii Warriors football team
The 2006 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the 2006 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season...
. Hawaii led the nation in passing offense (441.3), total offense, scoring offense and pass efficiency (185.95). Then in February 2007, he returned to Portland State to serve as offensive coordinator for new PSU head coach Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
's staff. He retired at the age of 76 on June 1, 2009, but later returned to the University of Hawaii as an assistant coach on June 25, 2010.
Davis was an inaugural member of the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1997.
Professional
Davis has been head coach of the now-defunct USFLUnited States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
's Denver Gold
Denver Gold
The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...
, the WLAF
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
's New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights was a franchise in the World League of American Football for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. They played in the North American East division, which they won in the 1991 season. They were coached by Mouse Davis, an architect of the Run & Shoot offense.After 1992 the NFL ...
, and the Arena Football League's Detroit Fury
Detroit Fury
The Detroit Fury were an Arena Football League team. The team began play in 2001 and was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The team was co-owned by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons, along with...
and the af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
's San Diego Riptide
San Diego Riptide
The San Diego Riptide is a defunct Arena Football League af2 team. The team played its home games at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.The team was originally coached by Cree Morris, then Mouse Davis and then Sean Ponder....
. He was also an assistant coach with the NFL
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...
's Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
In 1982, Davis joined the Toronto Argonauts as offensive coordinator and turned the team into a contender instantly with his pass-happy club. Led by his tandem of QBs Condredge Holloway (Tennessee) and Joe Barnes (Texas Tech). They finished the regular season with a record of (9–6–1) Davis' Argos lost in the 70th Grey Cup in 1982 to the Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
-led Edmonton Eskimos to the score of 32–16.
Davis left the Argonauts prior to the 1983 season, however the team, using the offense he had installed, finished the regular season with a commanding (12–4) record and did win the 71st Grey Cup that year over the British Columbia Lions to the score of 18–17. It was their first championship in 31 years.
In 1984, Davis headed back to the USA to take the offensive coordinator job with the USFL expansion Houston Gamblers. His quarterback was a rookie from the University of Miami named Jim Kelly. The "Mouseketeers" offensive unit lit up the USFL in their first year of existence passing for 5,793 yards and 45 passing touchdowns - ending their expansion season with a (13–5) record. The Gamblers' offense became the first team in pro football history to have two receivers with over 100 receptions in a single season: Richard Johnson with 115 and Ricky Sanders with 101.
In 1985, Davis took his first head coaching job at the professional level when he took the rein
Rein
Reins are items of horse tack, used to direct a horse or other animal used for riding or driving. Reins can be made of leather, nylon, metal, or other materials, and attach to a bridle via either its bit or its noseband.-Use for riding:...
s of the Denver Gold, bringing his run-and-shoot offense to the Mile High City. He once again had a tandem of QBs in Vince Evans and Bob Gagliano. The Gold finished the season with its first playoff berth with an (11–7) mark but lost in the first round to the Memphis Showboats.
Davis was slated to become head coach of the St. Louis Lightning of the World Indoor Football League
World Indoor Football League
This article is about the proposed league that was to begin in 1988, for the 2007 indoor football league, see World Indoor Football League The World Indoor Football League was an indoor football league that was to begin in 1988 to compete with the Arena Football League, which was playing its second...
in 1988, but the league dissolved before the season began.
1991 Davis took the head coaching job of the New York/New Jersey Knights of the WLAF. The 1991 season had Davis and the Knights go (5–5) and won the North American East Division. But they bowed out of the playoffs semifinal to the eventual champion London Monarchs. The following year saw their record improve to (6–4) and second place in the division but missed qualifying for the playoffs.