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Jim Davis , a 6-5 ", 275 lbs, now Defensive Lineman for the Canadian League’s Edmonton Eskimos actually began his career 21 years ago on the other side of the line as a tailback growing up in Highland Springs, VA just outside the State’s Capitol - Richmond. Davis comes from a very athletic, competitive but supportive and loving family. Football, basketball, baseball, softball, cheerleading, golf, swimming, karate, the list was never ending for weeknight and weekend activities in the Davis household. Competing for mini-van time for school events, games and practices with his older sister, Davis quickly narrowed down the list and found that football, basketball and baseball were his passions. A young Southern gentleman, he also found a special bond with his father using the golf course as a way to escape from the day to day hustle of childhood and eventually adult pressures.
A gifted athlete, Davis saw success at the very beginning of his then young career. He was automatically drawn to football and basketball and excelled at both, finding a similar success with baseball even though it did not move him in the same way as the hardwood and gridiron. At the start of his football career, Davis began on the offensive side as a tailback. At the age of 5 while playing little league football for Highland Springs Youth Football League (The Steelers), Davis quickly took to the game as a flag football star. Always tall and a bit stocky for his age, Davis intimidated his young opponents and his first coach, his dad Jim Davis Sr., found himself serving more as a bodyguard for his only son instead of a coach. Davis who even now is as gentle as a Big Teddy Bear (a name he actually gave himself), would often find ridicule on the field for his size and skill. Parents had a difficulty believing the young athlete’s age so parents Jim and Sandra were forced to carry his birth certificate to prove their son’s innocent stature.
With all the commotion about the presence of such a young gifted talent, the story of Jim Davis - football player almost didn’t exist. Coach Davis quickly learned that while his son loved the game of football there was one small detail that could not be overlooked…his son did not like to be hit! Young Davis made no apologies for not being able to grasp the idea of being intentionally tackled while running the ball, so to keep his son encouraged and on the field, Coach Davis moved his boy from offense, to a variety of positions hoping to find the right fit. The father and son duo even discovered that Davis had a knack for punting and place kicking but it wasn’t until Davis hit the opposite side of the line that the game came full circle for this future stand out. DEFENSE is where it all came together for the then young hopeful novice from the 804. All of Davis’s natural ability seemed to come together when he stepped onto the defensive line and from that point on it was history in the making.
Davis was first recruited at the very young age of 8 when he was a Pee Wee player for the Steelers. Then, Highland Springs High School Varsity Coach, Rudy Ward, happen to be driving on his way home from his practice when he saw teams of young kids playing organized football at the local Bulldog where the Steelers called their home. This particular day there were so many games happening, Davis and his team was forced to play on a makeshift field that stretched 100 yards between the community t-ball field and the Bulldog’s restrooms. Who knows what drew Coach Ward to this particular game as this was the youngest tackle game taking place but he was there and automatically connected to Davis. A sign of things to come, the young player was in a zone that day and at the moment of Ward’s arrival Davis caused a fumble, recovered the ball and ran back a 70 yard touchdown to help his team go onto to a victory against their rivals the Glen Lea Lions. Coach Ward was amazed and made the prediction that Davis would be a varsity star at Highland Springs High School as a freshman. Little did Coach Ward know but at that time he was sorely mistaken as Davis attended St. Benedicts, a Catholic school in the city of Richmond and had no plans of attending school in the county where Highland Springs mighty Springers took the field. Confident that he would see Davis again, Ward waited.
From that point on there was no denying Davis on or off the field. Davis was a straight “A” student and continued to excel in sports. As a middle school student, Davis continued his trek with the Steelers and also played football on the Benedictine High School JV team. This period also marked his transition from the recreational (YMCA) hardwood to playing on a very competitive Saint Benedict basketball team. Little did he know that he would earn a roster spot at age 11 on one of the most talented AAU basketball teams in the country. This team would go on to turn the sports world on its side over the next 3 years winning multiple regional and state titles and even played in the AAU National Championships 14 & under, losing their one and only game to the AAU Atlanta Jaguars. As the summer drew to a close for the then 13 year old Davis, he remembered a previous moment where a varsity coached had predicted that he would play as a freshman. Davis was preparing to enter high school and had a big decision in front of him. After beginning his career on the field of the Bulldog in Highland Springs almost nine years earlier, Davis had outgrown his time with the Steelers and was facing two options, life and sports as a Cadet at Richmond’s Benedictine High School or as a Springer and making good on Ward’s vision.
After a ton of discussion and a family vote, Davis entered high school in the fall of 1995 as a Springer where he played Defensive End and Offensive Tackle for Coach Randy Stokes. A stand out all four year of high school, Davis lettered three seasons and was team captain as a senior. He was named the team's MVP and Best Defensive Lineman in his final season as a Springer. Davis earned First-Team All-District honors and Second-Team All-Region recognition as a senior, gained Second-Team All-District honors his junior year and was selected the team's Best Offensive Lineman as a sophomore and just to keep things interesting, Davis also lettered three seasons as a center on Highland Springs’s basketball team and helped the team to a pair of district titles. Davis had an amazing high school experience but when the time for college recruitment to begin the Highland Springs standout did not exactly have colleges beating down his door.
The Davis family always rallied around each other in difficult times and jokingly coined the phrase “The Davis Underdogs”, to express the many times the family had faced adversity but found the right answer in the end. This hiccup in Davis’s road to success was just that, another case to get behind the “underdog” and root for him to win. Davis decided to forgo his first year of college and take a preparatory year in hopes of garnering broader interest in the NCAA football arena. Davis attended Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA) in fall 1999 where he went on to record 15 sacks and seven pass deflections as a Defensive End for Coach John Shuman. With that sacrificial year, Davis turned up the heat on the NCAA and the offers began to pour in. The University of Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, the list goes on and on. Davis had changed his stars and although the offers were far and wide, Davis knew exactly where he would play. Raised extremely close to his family, Davis has always had a very special relationship with his mother who battled several health issues during his childhood. While truly blessed for every opportunity afforded to him, Davis made the promise that he would never go further than a car ride away from his mother in case she needed him.
With that Davis accepted a full scholarship to Virginia Tech University where he would spend the next 5 years as a Hokie. Davis played in eleven games as a true freshman at Virginia Tech. He recorded 28 tackles (17 solos) with 3.5 sacks and six stops for losses. He started three of ten games at Defensive End in 2001, totaling 38 tackles (17 solos), 4.5 sacks, eight stops behind the line of scrimmage, two forced fumbles and an interception, but suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the season finale vs. Miami. Returning the following fall, Davis earned six starting assignments in 2002. He produced 37 tackles (24 solos), 5.5 sacks, nine stops for losses, ten pressures and three pass deflections for his efforts. He again suffered a torn pectoral muscle during his 2003 August training camp. Davis underwent surgery and was forced to sit out the year. He returned to action in his senior year only to play a new position to support the Hokies. Starting as a Defensive Tackle in 2004, except for the Florida A&M contest, where he shifted back to end. He finished with 28 tackles (16 solos), five sacks, and twelve stops behind the line of scrimmage, twelve pressures, five pass break-ups and three blocked kicks. In 48 games with the Hokies, Davis recorded 131 tackles (74 solos) with 18.5 sacks for minus 109 yards, 35 stops for losses of 167 yards and 33 quarterback pressures. He caused four fumbles, recovered another and blocked three field goals. Davis also had nine deflected passes and a 27-yard interception return. Once again, showing his quiet leadership ability, Jim was selected as the team co-captain.
As Davis completed his college career talks of the NFL soon began and the buzz was promising that the potential NFL Defensive Player would go on the first day of the NFL Draft in spring 2005…enter the “Davis Underdog”. Davis will never be able to explain what happened during the course of that NFL Draft weekend in 2005 and no one doubts that he would care to try, but after 19 years of loving and growing in the sport that had become such a huge part of his life, the gridiron was temporarily pulled from underneath him when Davis was mistakenly overlooked in the draft. On April 24, 2005 Davis was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent his first year in the NFL battling on the defense of the Jaguars practice squad. Going into the playoffs his first season, Davis was called up to the active roster and played in one game during the Jaguars final playoff game against the Tennessee Titans where he ended his first professional season with one solo tackle and one assist. Davis returned to the Jaguars the following year but was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee and eventually released after the 2006-2007 season.
Davis took a year off after his injury to rehab after minor knee surgery and in spring 2007 return to the field this time working out with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). While Davis had a great workout, he did not readily find his place in Canada. Returning back to the United States, Davis continued his workout but also did so heavy soul searching. For a career that had once seemed so full of promise now had somehow turned in to a road paved with obstacles, but Davis knew he was far from done. In spring 2008, Davis returned to Canada this time working out with the Edmonton Eskimos. Davis came to play and this time won his spot on the team’s roster without question. Davis has since permanently transitioned into the Defensive Lineman role making his rookie presence much felt in the Canadian league and in Edmonton. Only a few games into the 2008 season, Davis stepped out as a defensive front runner with a much anticipated meeting against the Calgary Stampeders. Picking up two sacks and leading the team in tackles in a much rivaled victory, Davis put to rest any doubt that the “Davis Underdog” would have a chance to rear its ugly head during his comeback season. Solidifying his place on his new Canadian team as well as sending a message to his first, Davis is already creating a foundation for another great chapter in his amazing story. This is only the beginning for Jim Davis and the world of football definitely needs to keep #96 on their radar.
For more information on Jim Davis visit his website at www.myspace.com/jimdavisjr
2004 VT ACC "We are the Champions" lookback