Back More
Salem Press

Table of Contents

Great Athletes

Terrell Davis

by Trevor D. Bopp

Sport: Football

Early Life

Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis achieved football stardom despite taking a perilous road to the NFL. Born on October 28, 1972, Terrell was the youngest of six boys. Growing up in east San Diego, California, Terrell played Little League at first. Then he discovered the joys of Pop Warner League football, earning the nickname “Boss Hog” for his tenacious playing style. In 1986, when Terrell was fourteen, his father, John, died of lupus, leaving his mother, Kateree, to raise the rambunctious boys.

Money, according to Terrell’s recollections, was hard to come by, but he always believed that sports were his ticket to bigger and better things. His first chance to prove that came when he transferred from Morse High School to Lincoln Prep in San Diego. He played six different positions at Lincoln, including nose guard, before he graduated in 1990. Although he was destined to become a running back in college, Terrell scored only three touchdowns during his whole high school career.

football_davis_t.tif
football_davis_t_2.tif

The Road to Excellence

Encouraged by his older brother Reggie, Terrell earned a scholarship to California State University, Long Beach, where, as a redshirt freshman, he played for legendary coach George Allen. Terrell’s running ability and tenacity was apparent to Allen, who began to groom Terrell. Adversity struck when Allen died of a heart attack after the 1990 season, and the Long Beach football program was dismantled. Terrell reluctantly transferred to the University of Georgia, which used a passing offense that did not showcase Terrell’s speed. Playing for three seasons, Terrell, at 5 feet 11 inches and 210 pounds, still finished his career at Georgia with 1,657 yards on 317 carries, for a 5.2 average, and 15 touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. As a senior, he led the team with 445 yards and 7 touchdowns on 97 carries, for a 4.6 average, in addition to 31 receptions for 330 yards.

Nevertheless, Terrell did not leave Georgia as a top NFL prospect. In fact, he was selected by the Broncos as the 196th player in the sixth round of the 1995 draft, a placement that usually relegates one to practice-player status, not superstardom.

The Emerging Champion

Undaunted, Terrell took his rookie season by storm, starting fourteen games in the season and rushing for 1,117 yards on 237 carries and 7 touchdowns. He also caught 49 passes for 367 yards and 1 touchdown. For his efforts, his teammates voted him the club’s offensive most valuable player (MVP). Furthermore, he finished second for NFL offensive rookie of the year. Terrell’s output landed him in the record books as well. He became the lowest drafted player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season.

Terrell’s numbers continued to improve. In his second season, he led the American Football Conference (AFC) and was second in the NFL in both rushing yards, 1,538 on 345 carries, and total yards from scrimmage, 1,848. He led the NFL in first downs earned, with 108, and was second in the AFC and third in the league in both rushing touchdowns, 13, and total touchdowns, 15. He also set franchise single-season records in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and total yards.

By 1997, Terrell began to show the brilliance that led him to the upper echelons of the game. Starting the first fifteen games, Terrell finished his third season with 1,750 yards on 369 carries, a 4.7 average, and 15 rushing touchdowns. All his rushing numbers were career and franchise highs. He won the NFL rushing title that year.

Continuing the Story

Terrell’s greatest triumph came on January 23, 1998, in his hometown, when he rushed for 157 yards and set a Super Bowl record, scoring 3 touchdowns, to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory, all while suffering from a severe migraine headache. Terrell started at halfback in all sixteen games that season and won the rushing title with a career and Broncos’ best 2,008 yards, along with 21 touchdowns on 392 carries. In doing so, Terrell became only the fourth player in league history to top the 2,000-yard mark in a single season. His total ranked third-best behind Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984 and Barry Sanders’s 2,053 in 1997; both players were inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The season also helped Terrell become the Broncos’ all-time career rushing leader with 6,413 yards, surpassing Floyd Little’s mark of 6,323, set between 1967 and 1975.

In 1998, Terrell continued his triumphant play by helping Denver win a second, consecutive Super Bowl title. Terrell rushed for 102 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. After five seasons, Terrell had earned two Super Bowl rings, had appeared in three Pro Bowls, and had been voted MVP of Super Bowl XXXII. He also became the first 2,000-yard rusher to win a Super Bowl.

Terrell’s numbers in the playoffs placed him in any discussion concerning all-time great postseason performers. In eight career playoff appearances, he averaged 142.5 rushing yards per game, with 1,140 total yards, on 5.6 yards per carry, and scored 12 touchdowns. Terrell tallied 581 yards rushing over three games during the 1997 playoffs and 468 over three playoff games in 1998, both concluding with Super Bowl victories. His seven straight postseason games rushing at least 100 yards was a playoff record.

Knee injuries—medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears—spoiled Terrell’s 1999 and 2000 seasons, in which he played four and five games, respectively. He totaled only 493 rushing yards in those nine games. In 2001, Terrell showed signs of healing, playing in eight games and rushing for 701 yards; however, he did not score a single touchdown on 167 carries. His injuries continued to worsen, and Terrell was placed on the injured reserve list for the 2002 season. He officially retired in 2004. He played his entire seven year careeer with the Broncos.

Despite a premature end to his career, consisting of only two full seasons and seven overall, Terrell rushed for 7,607 yards, caught 169 balls for 1,280 receiving yards, and scored a total 65 touchdowns. His dominance during his healthy playing time was evident in his four straight all-pro selections, from 1995 to 1998, and three straight Pro Bowl appearances, from 1996 to 1998. His career average of 97.5 rushing yards per game was in the upper ranks on the NFL’s all-time career list. In 2007, Terrell was voted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. In retirement, Terrell worked as an analyst on the NFL Network and cohost of NFL Total Access.

Summary

Never considered a gifted football player growing up, Terrell Davis surpassed many expectations by displaying grit and drive. His determined attitude was a staple of his playing style. Terrell did not forget his roots and continued to be a part of his San Diego community. In 2000, Terrell returned to Lincoln Prep to a hero’s welcome, complete with marching band and a ceremony in which his number 7 jersey was retired. In kind, Terrell donated a check for $10,000 to the school.

Additional Sources

1 

Davis, Terrell, and Adam Schefter. TD: Dreams in Motion. New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1999.

2 

Griffith, Howard. Laying It on the Line: Notes of a Team Player. Champaign, Ill.: Sports, 2000.

3 

Saunders, Patrick. “Davis Carries Himself as Well as He Does the Football.” The Denver Post, September 12, 1999.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Bopp, Trevor D. "Terrell Davis." Great Athletes,Salem Press, 2009. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Athletes_1528.
APA 7th
Bopp, T. D. (2009). Terrell Davis. Great Athletes. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Bopp, Trevor D. "Terrell Davis." Great Athletes. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2009. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.