Tony Davis (cornerback)
Encyclopedia
Antonio West Davis is a professional gridiron football
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...

 cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...

 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...

 who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He also spent time in 2009 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...

 of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

. 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 Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...

.

Early years

Davis had outstanding football career at Howland High School
Howland High School
Howland High School is a public high school in Howland Township, Ohio, near Warren. It is the only high school in the Howland Local Schools district. Their mascot is the Tiger...

 in Howland Township
Howland Township, Trumbull County, Ohio
Howland Township is one of the twenty-four townships of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Along with Liberty Township, it is one of two urban townships in Trumbull County...

, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, where he was named 1st-team All-State
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...

, Ohio Division II Co-Offensive Player-of-the-Year, and twice named All-Metro Athletic Conference.

College career

Davis saw his first action as a sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...

, playing in 9 games during the 2005
2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2005–2006 college football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno...

 season as the top reserve cornerback behind 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...

 and future pro, Alan Zemaitis
Alan Zemaitis
Alan Zemaitis is a professional American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

. He started in every game at cornerback in 2006
2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2006–2007 college football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania....

 and led the team (and was second in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

) with 13 pass break-ups
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...

. He finished the season with 42 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

, capping his season with an electrifying 88-yard fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

 recovery and return for the game-winning touchdown in Penn State's 20-10 Outback Bowl
2007 Outback Bowl
The 2007 Outback Bowl Game was a college football bowl game sponsored by Outback Steakhouse. It was part of the 2006–2007 bowl game season that concluded the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. The Outback Bowl has been played annually since 1986...

 victory over Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....

.

Davis suffered several season injuries in 2007
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2007 college football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania....

, including a mid-season appendicectomy
Appendicectomy
An appendectomy is the surgical removal of the vermiform appendix. This procedure is normally performed as an emergency procedure, when the patient is suffering from acute appendicitis...

. He appeared in 11 games at safety, recording 29 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass break-ups, and an interception. Davis returned to cornerback for his senior season in 2008
2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the 2008 college football season. The team is coached by Joe Paterno and plays its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.-Previous season:...

. He was the starter for all 13 games and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 accolades. He was presented with a special award from the State College Quarterback Club at the Nittany Lions's annual football banquet. He finished the season with 46 tackles, 5 pass break-ups, and an interception.

Davis earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from Penn State in 2008.
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