June 24, 2016

Highlighted Year: Terrell Davis, 1997

Running Back, Denver Broncos


Age: 25 (Oct. 28)
3rd 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 sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft and emerged to rush for 1117 yards and catch 49 passes. In 1996 he ran for 1538 yards to lead the AFC and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press as well as being a consensus first-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl.

1997 Season Summary
Appeared and started in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 369 [2]
Most attempts, game – 42 (for 207 yds.) at Buffalo 10/26
Yards – 1750 [2, 1st in AFC]
Most yards, game – 215 yards (on 27 carries) vs. Cincinnati 9/21
Average gain – 4.7 [7]
TDs – 15 [1, tied with Karim Abdul-Jabbar]
200-yard rushing games – 2
100-yard rushing games – 10

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 42      
Most receptions, game – 7 (for 70 yds.) at Oakland 10/19
Yards – 287
Most yards, game – 70 (on 7 catches) at Oakland 10/19
Average gain – 6.8
TDs – 0

All-purpose yards – 2030 [4, 1st in AFC]

Scoring
TDs – 15 [2]
2-pt conversions – 3 [1, tied with Cris Carter]
Points – 96 [20, tied with Karim Abdul-Jabbar]

Postseason: 4 G
Rushing attempts – 112
Most rushing attempts, game – 31 vs. Jacksonville, AFC Wild Card playoff
Rushing yards – 581
Most rushing yards, game – 184 vs. Jacksonville, AFC Wild Card playoff
Average gain rushing – 5.2
Rushing TDs – 8
100-yard rushing games – 4

Pass receptions – 8
Most pass receptions, game – 4 vs. Jacksonville, AFC Wild Card playoff
Pass receiving yards – 38
Most pass receiving yards, game – 17 at Kansas City, AFC Divisional playoff
Average yards per reception – 4.8
Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-AFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Broncos went 12-4 to finish second in the AFC West and qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card while leading the NFL in total yards (5872), touchdowns (55), and scoring (472 points). Won AFC Wild Card playoff over Jacksonville Jaguars (42-17), AFC Divisional playoff over Kansas City Chiefs (14-10), AFC Championship over Pittsburgh Steelers (24-21) & Super Bowl over Green Bay Packers (31-24).

Aftermath:
Davis rushed for 2008 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1998 and received consensus league MVP honors while the Broncos repeated as NFL Champions. But after rushing for 6413 yards in four years, Davis gained just 211 yards on the ground in ‘99 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 yards on 169 pass receptions. Davis was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection three times and was selected to as many Pro Bowls in his short but productive career.

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Highlighted Years features players who were first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff Returns: Average
Punt Returns: Average
Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970