Keith Davis
Encyclopedia
Keith Lamont Davis is an American football
safety for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football
at Sam Houston State.
Davis has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys
, Berlin Thunder
, Miami Dolphins
and Oakland Raiders
.
and defensive back
for Class AA Italy High School in Texas. He was also a starter for the baseball
and basketball
team that won the 1997 Class AA State Championship.
As a junior, he was named Southland Conference
Football League Defensive Player of the Year and team MVP after posting 99 tackles and 2 interceptions.
As a senior, he led his team with 96 tackles, 7 pass defended, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. He earned All-America
honors from the American Football Coaches Association
and All-Southland
League honors as a senior.
as an undrafted free agent for the 2002 season
. He made the Cowboys' practice squad initially, and subsequently the active roster, playing eight games as a backup safety and on special teams. He was credited with five tackles from scrimmage, two quarterback pressures, one pass breakup and eight tackles on special teams.
Before the start of the 2003
training camp, he was shot in the right hip and left elbow around 2:20 a.m. outside the Dallas Gentlemen's Club.
Davis had driven to the club after closing time to pick up a friend. The friend was sitting at a table where an altercation broke out, and spilled outside to the parking lot, culminating with his shooting while defending her girlfriend.
While he did nothing to provoke the incident, and was regarded as an unwitting victim, head coach
Bill Parcells
believed Davis should not have placed himself in a questionable situation and released him from the team.
Davis did not play football that season, but rejoined the club in 2004
, after Parcells gave him a second chance, re-signing him in January 2004 to play in NFL Europe
. Davis took advantage of the opportunity and was named all-league, while helping the Berlin Thunder
to the World Bowl XII
championship.
During that season, he became a dynamic cover player on special teams and a fan favorite for the Cowboys.
He blossomed in 2005
after playing primarily on special teams his first two seasons in the league. He started 15 games at free safety and finished fourth on the team with 68 tackles. He also led the club in special teams tackles, with 16, and had a forced fumble.
His strong play convinced the New Orleans Saints
to sign him to a restricted free-agent offer sheet, but the Cowboys retained the three-year veteran by matching the offer.
In 2006
he was shot for the second time in just three years. This time he was randomly shot in the back of the head and in his right thigh, while driving to church at 5:30 in the morning on a Dallas freeway. He drove himself to the hospital and was later released.
In 2008
, the Cowboys did not want to lose Davis' leadership and special teams skills as an unrestricted free agent, but he wanted a chance to start and that wasn't going to happen again in Dallas, because of his weaknesses in pass coverage.
He left as one of the top special teams players in franchise history.
, reuniting him with team vice president Bill Parcells
. The Dolphins released Davis on August 27, a day before the team's final preseason game. The move was noted as strange by members of the media, as it was learned that Davis was on the team's flight manifest to New Orleans and was even assigned a room number. However, Davis' agent stated it was merely a business decision.
on August 31, 2008
. It said a lot about how his teammates felt about him, when he was named captain despite being on the roster only a few days.
He led the Cowboys in special teams' tackles with 20 in 2008
on May 21, 2009. He was released on July 13, 2009.
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...
safety for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Sam Houston State.
Davis has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Early years
He was a two-time All-State and All-District wide receiverWide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for Class AA Italy High School in Texas. He was also a starter for the baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team that won the 1997 Class AA State Championship.
College career
He signed with Sam Houston State where he finished his career ranked fourth on the school’s tackle list with 339 stops.As a junior, he was named Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
Football League Defensive Player of the Year and team MVP after posting 99 tackles and 2 interceptions.
As a senior, he led his team with 96 tackles, 7 pass defended, 3 forced fumbles, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. He earned 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...
honors from the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
and All-Southland
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
League honors as a senior.
First stint with the Dallas Cowboys
Davis was signed by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
as an undrafted free agent for the 2002 season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
. He made the Cowboys' practice squad initially, and subsequently the active roster, playing eight games as a backup safety and on special teams. He was credited with five tackles from scrimmage, two quarterback pressures, one pass breakup and eight tackles on special teams.
Before the start of the 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
training camp, he was shot in the right hip and left elbow around 2:20 a.m. outside the Dallas Gentlemen's Club.
Davis had driven to the club after closing time to pick up a friend. The friend was sitting at a table where an altercation broke out, and spilled outside to the parking lot, culminating with his shooting while defending her girlfriend.
While he did nothing to provoke the incident, and was regarded as an unwitting victim, head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
believed Davis should not have placed himself in a questionable situation and released him from the team.
Davis did not play football that season, but rejoined the club in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, after Parcells gave him a second chance, re-signing him in January 2004 to play in NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
. Davis took advantage of the opportunity and was named all-league, while helping the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
to the World Bowl XII
World Bowl XII
World Bowl XII was NFL Europe's 2004 championship game. The game was played at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 12, 2004. In this game, the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy returned to try to protect their title after going through a 7–3 regular season. Their opponent was...
championship.
During that season, he became a dynamic cover player on special teams and a fan favorite for the Cowboys.
He blossomed in 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
after playing primarily on special teams his first two seasons in the league. He started 15 games at free safety and finished fourth on the team with 68 tackles. He also led the club in special teams tackles, with 16, and had a forced fumble.
His strong play convinced the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
to sign him to a restricted free-agent offer sheet, but the Cowboys retained the three-year veteran by matching the offer.
In 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
he was shot for the second time in just three years. This time he was randomly shot in the back of the head and in his right thigh, while driving to church at 5:30 in the morning on a Dallas freeway. He drove himself to the hospital and was later released.
In 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
, the Cowboys did not want to lose Davis' leadership and special teams skills as an unrestricted free agent, but he wanted a chance to start and that wasn't going to happen again in Dallas, because of his weaknesses in pass coverage.
He left as one of the top special teams players in franchise history.
Miami Dolphins
On March 11, 2008, Davis signed with the Miami DolphinsMiami 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...
, reuniting him with team vice president Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
. The Dolphins released Davis on August 27, a day before the team's final preseason game. The move was noted as strange by members of the media, as it was learned that Davis was on the team's flight manifest to New Orleans and was even assigned a room number. However, Davis' agent stated it was merely a business decision.
Second stint with the Dallas Cowboys
Just days after being released by the Dolphins, Davis was re-signed by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on August 31, 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. It said a lot about how his teammates felt about him, when he was named captain despite being on the roster only a few days.
He led the Cowboys in special teams' tackles with 20 in 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
Oakland Raiders
Davis was signed by 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...
on May 21, 2009. He was released on July 13, 2009.