Former Clemson linebacker gets his due

By Bob Wilson  |   Friday, May 18, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

Clemson Tigers
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Former Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year -- and it's about time, frankly. While many readers are probably too young to remember Davis, he was the heart and soul of the Tigers' defense on the 1981 National championship-winning team.

While Doug Flutie will be the most recognizable player going into the Hall for most casual fans, Davis should be remembered for helping to put Clemson on the football map.

The Greensboro, N.C., native set a then-school record with 175 tackles in '81. He was the leader of a defense that set a school record with 41 turnovers forced that year. Davis is still the Clemson career leader for forced and recovered fumbles, with 10 and eight, respectively. He also continues to hold the record for tackles in an ACC game (24 against North Carolina in 1980).

Davis played 40 games for Clemson between 1978-81 and racked up 469 career tackles, still the third-highest total in Tiger history. He started all 35 games between 1979-81 and had double-figure tackles in 30 of 40 games. He also led the defense in stops in 25 of those contests.

The "Judge," as he was called, was an easy choice for the ACC MVP in '81, becoming just the third defensive player in league history to win the award. He ended his collegiate career with a bang, collecting 14 tackles in the team's 22-15 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska that clinched the National championship for the Tigers.

Deemed too small to be a great pro player, Davis was not drafted until the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1982. In his six-year NFL career, he started 72 of the 83 games he played and led the Buccaneers in tackles three times -- including a career-high 165 stops in 1984. The former Tiger served as Clemson's team captain for four seasons and still ranks eighth on the Buccaneers' tackle list with 662.

Davis was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1989 and to the school's Ring of Honor in 1995. He became a member of the state of South Carolina's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and was included on the ACC's 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002. Entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame will be the cherry on the top of his impressive career.

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