Clarence Davis
Encyclopedia
Clarence Eugene Davis is a former American football
running back
who played with the National Football League
's Oakland Raiders
from 1971 to 1978.
and was a 1969 All-America
n. Davis played at East Los Angeles College
and Washington Preparatory High School
in Los Angeles
prior to that.
, he played a key role in the Raiders' 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings
, he rushed 16 times for 137 yards, an average of 8.6 yards. Davis, who had been plagued by a knee injury for three years, had runs of 20, 35, 13, 18, and 16 yards, part of a Raiders team that gained for 429 yards, a Super Bowl
record at the time.
against the Miami Dolphins
in the 1974 NFL Playoffs
. With 4:54 to play, Kenny Stabler completed a 72 yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch
. Branch went to the ground to make the catch, but being untouched by Dolphin defenders, he popped upright and ran the remaining 27 yards to complete the play. With 4:37 to go, the score was Raiders 21, Dolphins 19. A mere two minutes later, Miami had responded with a touchdown that gave them the lead again by five. With two minutes left in the game, the Raiders had one last chance. Stabler drove the Raiders to the Miami 8-yard line with 35 seconds left. On 1st and goal, Stabler called a pass play, took the snap, and scrambled to his left. Miami defensive end Vern Den Herder
tripped Stabler from behind, but Stabler got off a floating pass toward Davis in the end zone before going down. Davis, Miami defensive back Charlie Babb
, and linebacker Mike Kolen
all leaped for the ball at the same time and each got their hands on it. Davis, however, out-wrestled Babb and Kolen for the ball and the winning score. This 28-26 victory, with a combined three touchdowns scored by both teams in the final 4:37, made this Raiders comeback one of the most unforgettable in Dolphins-Raiders history.
The irony of the "Sea of Hands" catch lied in the nickname teammates had bestowed on Davis, "Hands of Wood," for his supposed inability to catch balls out of the backfield.
http://www.raiders.com/history/gm3.jsp
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1971 to 1978.
College career
Davis graduated from the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and was a 1969 All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. Davis played at East Los Angeles College
East Los Angeles College
East Los Angeles College is a community college of the Los Angeles Community College District in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park. Fourteen communities comprise its primary service area...
and Washington Preparatory High School
Washington Preparatory High School
George Washington Preparatory High School is a secondary school in the Westmont section of unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States that is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, .It was founded in 1926...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
prior to that.
Professional career
In Super Bowl XISuper Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
, he played a key role in the Raiders' 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, he rushed 16 times for 137 yards, an average of 8.6 yards. Davis, who had been plagued by a knee injury for three years, had runs of 20, 35, 13, 18, and 16 yards, part of a Raiders team that gained for 429 yards, a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
record at the time.
1974 Sea of Hands Catch
Clarence Davis' catch in a Sea of Hands ended one of the greatest NFL games of all-time, pitting the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 1974 NFL Playoffs
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
. With 4:54 to play, Kenny Stabler completed a 72 yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch
Cliff Branch is a retired American football wide receiver who spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII...
. Branch went to the ground to make the catch, but being untouched by Dolphin defenders, he popped upright and ran the remaining 27 yards to complete the play. With 4:37 to go, the score was Raiders 21, Dolphins 19. A mere two minutes later, Miami had responded with a touchdown that gave them the lead again by five. With two minutes left in the game, the Raiders had one last chance. Stabler drove the Raiders to the Miami 8-yard line with 35 seconds left. On 1st and goal, Stabler called a pass play, took the snap, and scrambled to his left. Miami defensive end Vern Den Herder
Vern Den Herder
Vern Wayne Den Herder was an American football player who played twelve seasons for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He played in three Super Bowls for the Dolphins. In 1996 he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.-High school:Den Herder attended high school in Sioux Center, Iowa...
tripped Stabler from behind, but Stabler got off a floating pass toward Davis in the end zone before going down. Davis, Miami defensive back Charlie Babb
Charlie Babb
For the baseball player, see Charlie Babb Charles David Babb was a safety for the Miami Dolphins . He is a graduate of Charleston High School in Charleston, Missouri. Both of Charlie's parents are deaf, making for an interesting home life for Charlie as a child....
, and linebacker Mike Kolen
Mike Kolen
'John Michael Kolen' is a former American football linebacker who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins...
all leaped for the ball at the same time and each got their hands on it. Davis, however, out-wrestled Babb and Kolen for the ball and the winning score. This 28-26 victory, with a combined three touchdowns scored by both teams in the final 4:37, made this Raiders comeback one of the most unforgettable in Dolphins-Raiders history.
The irony of the "Sea of Hands" catch lied in the nickname teammates had bestowed on Davis, "Hands of Wood," for his supposed inability to catch balls out of the backfield.
http://www.raiders.com/history/gm3.jsp
External links
- Clarence Davis Profile at USC Legends