Age: 26 (Oct. 28)
4th season in pro football & with Broncos
College: Georgia
Height: 5’11” Weight: 200
Prelude:
Unheralded coming out of college, Davis was taken by the Broncos in the 6th round of the 1995 NFL draft and emerged to rush for 1117 yards and catch 49 passes. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1996 and ’97 seasons in which he rushed for 1538 and 1750 yards, respectively. Davis led the NFL with 15 rushing TDs in 1997 and was MVP of the Super Bowl win over Green Bay.
1998 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 392 [2]
Most attempts, game - 31 (for 136 yds.) vs. Jacksonville 10/25, (for 162 yds.) vs. Oakland 11/22
Yards – 2008 [1]
Most yards, game – 208 yards (on 30 carries) at Seattle 10/11
Average gain – 5.1 [1]
TDs – 21 [1]
200-yard rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing games – 11
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 25
Most receptions, game – 5 (for 76 yds.) vs. Jacksonville 10/25, (for 45 yds.) vs. Kansas City 12/6
Yards – 217
Most yards, game - 76 (on 5 catches) vs. Jacksonville 10/25
Average gain – 8.7
TDs – 2
Total Yards – 2225 [3]
Scoring
TDs – 23 [1]
Points – 138 [3]
Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 78
Most rushing attempts, game - 32 vs. NY Jets, AFC Championship
Rushing yards – 468
Most rushing yards, game - 199 vs. Miami, AFC Divisional playoff
Average gain rushing – 6.0
Rushing TDs – 3
100-yard rushing games – 3
Pass receptions – 4
Most pass receptions, game - 2 vs. Atlanta, Super Bowl
Pass receiving yards - 69
Most pass receiving yards, game - 50 vs. Atlanta, Super Bowl
Average yards per reception – 17.3
Pass Receiving TDs - 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-AFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Broncos went 14-2 to finish first in the AFC West with the conference’s best record and led the AFC in total offense (6092 yards), rushing (2468), touchdowns (62), and scoring (501 points). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Denver Broncos (38-3), AFC Championship over New York Jets (23-10), and Super Bowl over Atlanta Falcons (34-19).
Aftermath:
After rushing for 6413 yards in four years, crowned by the 2000-yard ’98 season, Davis gained just 211 yards on the ground in 1999 as he sustained a major knee injury in the fourth game. Returning in 2000, he struggled, appearing in only five contests and rushing for 282 yards. Davis ran for 701 yards in one last injury-riddled season in 2001. For his career, he gained 7607 yards on 1655 carries and added another 1280 on 169 pass receptions.
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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/15/14]
