Terrell Davis
Teams
Denver Broncos (1995-2001)
Playoffs
Appearances - 4 (1996,1997,1998,2000)
Conf Champ Games - 2 (1997,1998)
Super Bowls - 2 (1997,1998)
Championships - 2 (1997,1998)
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (1998)
Offensive Player of the Year - 2 (1996,1998)
All-Pro First Team - 3 (1996,1997,1998)
Super Bowl MVP - 1 (1997)
Pro Bowl - 3 (1996,1997,1998)
Hall of Fame - 2017
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Yards per Game - #3
Yards per Rush - #35
Rushing Touchdowns - #54
Rushing Yards - #58
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1998, #2-1996,1997, #9-1995)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1997,1998, #3-1996)
Yards per Rush (#1-1998, #4-1995, #5-1996, #6-1997)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1998, #2-1996,1997, #6-1995)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1998, #2-1997, #3-1996)
Scrimmage Yards (#2-1996,1997,1998)
Yards per Touch (#6-1998)
After one season at Long Beach State and 3 at Georgia, in which he picked up a total of 1919 rushing yards, Terrell Davis was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 6th round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Though he was not expected to make the team, Davis impressed everyone in the preseason enough that he was named the team's starting running back at the beginning of his rookie season. He rushed for 1117 yards as a rookie, becoming the lowest-drafted player ever to reach 1000 yards as a rookie.
In Davis' second season, he rushed for 1538 yards and 13 touchdowns, while helping guide Denver to the best record in the league. He finished #2 in the league in rushing yards and scrimmage yards, where his total was 1848, and was named the Offensive Player of the Year.
In 1997, Davis was even better. He rushed for team records of 1750 yards and 15 touchdowns, the latter of which led the league, and finished as runner-up to Barry Sanders for Offensive Player of the Year, after Sanders rushed for over 2000 yards that season. Davis again finished #2 in both rushing yards and scrimmage yards on the season, this time ending up with 2037 scrimmage yards.
The 1997 postseason was an historic one for Davis. He rushed for over 100 yards in each of Denver's 4 playoff games, only the second player ever to do so, and he scored eight touchdowns in the postseason, a record that still stands. In the Super Bowl, he rushed for 157 and 3 touchdowns, the most touchdowns ever for a player in the Super Bowl, and he did that even after sitting out an entire quarter with a migraine. His momentous performance earned him the Super Bowl MVP award.
He followed up that amazing performance with a season that is nearly unmatched. He became the 4th player ever to rush for 2000 yards in a season, finishing with 2008, and he also led the league with 21 rushing touchdowns and 5.1 yards per carry. For the third year in a row, he was #2 in scrimmage yards, picking up a total of 2225. His great season earned him both the Offensive Player of the Year and league MVP awards.
Davis had another great postseason, which propelled the Broncos to another Super Bowl appearance. This time they faced the Atlanta Falcons, beating them 34-19, as Davis amassed 152 total yards in the victory. John Elway was named that game's MVP, but Davis definitely had a large role in the win.
After his dominant season, Davis was never the same again. He tore his ACL early in 1999, causing him to miss 12 games, then a lower leg injury cost him 11 games in 2000, and double knee surgery cost him half of 2001. He attempted to come back again in 2002, but wasn't at full health and chose to retire before the season.
Davis had a very short career, even for a running back. He only played in 7 seasons, and only 4 that were injury-free. When healthy, he was the best running back in the league. He won a rushing title, led the league in touchdowns twice, won the Offensive Player of the Year twice, plus an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP, in addition to being a member of the very exclusive 2000-yard club. Davis was undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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