Sonny Davis
| No. 43 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 16, 1948 Alcoa, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Alcoa | ||||||||
| College: | Tennessee State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1971 / round: 11 / pick: 264 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Albert Lee "Sonny" Davis (born January 16, 1948) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee State.
Early life
[edit]Davis was born and grew up in Alcoa, Tennessee and attended Alcoa High School. Davis was the first athlete to compete in integrated sports in Blount County, Tennessee and was named All-County, All-State and All-American as a junior and senior.[1]
College career
[edit]Davis was one of the first African American players to be recruited by the University of Tennessee along with Lester McClain, but ultimately enrolled at Tennessee State after Tennessee questioned his test scores.[2] Davis played four seasons for the Tigers and led the team with six touchdowns scored as a sophomore.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Davis was selected in the 11th round of the 1971 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.[4] As a rookie, he rushed for 163 yards and one touchdown on 47 carries and caught 11 passes for 46 yards.[5]
Davis played for The Hawaiians of the World Football League from 1974 to 1975.[6]
Post-football
[edit]After retiring from football, Davis became a teacher in the Camden School District and eventually became a high school principal.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Al "Sonny" Davis, Retired NFL Grand Marshall for Alcoa 100 Years Celebration". East Tennessee Enlightener. October 10, 2019.
- ^ "Why star receiver AJ Davis picked Maryville, even though grandfather and father are Alcoa legends". Knoxville News Sentinel. September 12, 2019.
- ^ "2018 Tennessee State Tigers Football Media Guide".
- ^ a b "Albert, David Davis honorary chairmen for Houston golf tournament". The Daily Times. July 20, 2014.
- ^ "Sonny Davis". www.pro-football-reference.com.
- ^ Cisco, Dan (1999). Hawai'i Sports: History, Facts, and Statistics. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824821210.