NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis was drafted by the Denver Broncos 196th overall in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft. Coming into camp, Davis was considered the sixth string tailback, and few believed he would contend for a place on the roster. Many people had written him off, but Davis never stopped believing. His play improved with each preseason game, and by the first week of the regular season he had earned the starting role. He seized the reins and led the Broncos backfield through seven illustrious seasons. It was a short career to have earned so many accolades: 46 Broncos franchise records, three Pro Bowl nods, two Super Bowl Championships, and one Super Bowl MVP. At the end of it all, Davis found a permanent home in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Davis had an unconventional start to an outstanding career. For a stretch of four years, from 1995-1998, Davis was arguably the most electrifying player in the NFL. In living rooms across North America, Davis was a weekly source of entertainment. In one particular living room in Victoria, British Columbia, he directly inspired a budding football career.
It’s 1997, and a three-year-old future Tiger-Cats linebacker Terrell Davis is sitting on the carpet in his Victoria, BC living room. His eyes light up as the Broncos’ Davis torches NFL defences. He hears the announcers repeating his name over and over again, “Terrell Davis, Terrell Davis, Terrell Davis.”
He runs to the TV and points at the screen. Then he turns to his mother and exclaims, “Mommy, that’s me, that’s me!”
From that day forward, he dreamed of playing professional football.
Davis (the Canadian one) didn’t wait long to start chasing his pro football dream. He attended his first practice at the age of seven, and as he says, “pretty much loved it ever since.”
Davis attended Mount Douglas Secondary School and was a top Canadian prospect. He played running back and modelled his style after the Broncos Hall of Famer. The football program at Mount Douglas is well respected, and during Davis’ high school tenure, the team captured two provincial titles.
After an unsuccessful attempt at breaking Arizona State’s lineup, Davis returned home to BC. He elected to attend the University of British Columbia, and his presence was welcomed by Head Coach Blake Nill and the rest of the coaching staff.
“Terrell is not your average recruit. He is a stud. He has the potential to be a difference maker,” said Coach Nill in an interview with the Province’s Howard Tsumura. “I remember when he came out of high school, that he was one of the top two or three sought-after players in Canada.”
Davis would prove Nill’s evaluation correct, as he became a standout Canadian University talent. He made his initial impression as a running back, but was given the chance to prove his versatility in 2015.
Nill had confidence in the Thunderbirds’ offence but believed the team’s defence to be lacking. He asked Davis to transition his efforts to the defensive side of the ball. Davis agreed, and quickly adapted to his new role at linebacker.
Davis was initially torn between following in his idol’s footsteps and filling the immediate needs of his team. He quickly came to appreciate his coach’s decision.
“I just wanted to help my team win any way I could, whether it was offensively, defensively, or special teams,” says Davis. “I think it ended up being a good move personally, because it’s hard to make room in the CFL for Canadian running backs. I knew playing linebacker I could play special teams and maybe get in the rotation as well. For me, it was a good switch.”
Davis’ dream was to play professional football, and playing linebacker gave him the best chance of achieving it.
Davis had an immediate impact in his new position. He had the third most tackles in the CIS in his first year at linebacker.
The Thunderbirds had a slow start to 2015, despite Davis’ defensive presence. They were blown out by the Calgary Dinos in their opening week and continued to drop contests to start the season. The locker room quickly realized that it would have to turn things around if it wanted a title shot.
“We kind of went on a run,” remembers Davis. “We ended up winning a bunch of games, and we went back to Calgary for the Hardy Trophy [awarded annually to the winner of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Conference of U Sports]. We had this slogan, ‘burn the ships,’ which meant we either come home with a win, or we don’t come home at all. We ended up winning that one.”
Davis and the Thunderbirds avenged the early season loss to the Dinos, and would go on to capture the Vanier Cup.
“Winning the Vanier Cup was surreal. That was definitely a dream come true,” says Davis.
But he still had one more dream to take care of: suiting up for a pro football team. In the 2016 CFL Draft, Davis learned that his dream would be realized, and that he’d be suiting up in Black & Gold.
Terrell Davis was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 21st overall in the third round of the 2016 CFL Draft. The career that follows may inspire the next crop of Terrell Davises, watching on TVs across North America.