Wayne Davis, 44; Was NFL CB (Chargers, Bills, Redskins)
Bill Schenley
FROM: The Terre Haute Tribune-Star ~
By David Hughes
TERRE HAUTE
A heavily recruited two-way standout from Mount Healthy
High School in Cincinnati, Wayne Davis initially wanted to
play running back for Indiana State's football team in the
early 1980s.
But longtime ISU coach Dennis Raetz and his assistants
persuaded Davis into playing cornerback for the good of
the team.
The result was enough stellar performances to earn Davis
the 1984 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of
the Year award as a senior, a second-round selection (39th
overall) by the San Diego Chargers in the 1985 NFL draft
and a six-year NFL career that included stints with the
Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.
One of ISU's best football players ever, Davis died Sunday
after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease near Atlanta.
He was 44.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Davis received three NCAA
All-America honors in 1984. In the NFL, he totaled five
interceptions in 73 games (14 starts), according to the
www.pro-football-reference.com Web site. In 2002, he was
inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame.
"Wayne was arguably the only shutdown corner Indiana State
ever had," Raetz recalled Wednesday. "He could really cover
wide receivers one on one. He had very soft feet and great
speed. He was a highly intelligent kid too."
In the early 1980s, Indiana State had three athletes who won
MVC Defensive Player of the Year - linebacker Craig
Shaffer in 1981, Davis in 1984 and safety Vencie Glenn in
1985. But Davis, a three-year starter for the Sycamores, ended
up being the highest-drafted ISU player by an NFL team.
"Wayne was a great guy," said Tribune-Star sports
correspondent Tom James, who worked with the football team
for ISU's sports information department in the early '80s.
"He was very musically talented. Wayne was a rapper before
anybody knew what rapping was. He was very good at it."
"Wayne was a leader on the field, but he was a leader by
example," Raetz added. "Wayne was not loud at all, but
everyone who saw him play knew he could play."
A glance through the pages of ISU's 2007 football media guide
does not show Davis among the statistical leaders in many
categories, but Raetz said there's a good reason for that.
"Most people didn't throw at him," the veteran coach said.
During Davis' junior and senior seasons, the Sycamores
finished 9-4 and 9-3 respectively.
Funeral services for Davis will take place Friday at the New
Mercies Christian Church in Lilburn, Ga. A public viewing is
scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m., with services beginning
immediately afterward.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Wayne
Davis to the ALS Association of Georgia, 1955 Cliff Valley
Way, Suite 116, Atlanta, GA 30329
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Stats:
http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DAVISWAY01
Davis (#21), while playing for the Buffalo Bills, tackles Drew Hill (#85) of
the Houston Oilers
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