EDITOR’S NOTE: The Knox County Sports Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class on Nov. 2, 2019 at the Knox County Historical Society. Seven local athletic legends made up the first class of inductees. Knox Pages reporter Grant Pepper helped research each inductee in preparation for the ceremony. This week, we will run stories based on that research. Pepper used resources like Newspapers.com, the world’s largest online newspaper archive, to collect statistics, quotes and anecdotes pertaining to each athlete.
Doug Davis wasn’t born in Centerburg, but when he made it to the NFL stage, he credited his upbringing in Knox County’s southernmost village for leading him to that point.
Davis, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound lineman who graduated from Centerburg High School in 1962, was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1966. In an interview that summer with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Davis discussed his childhood.
Davis, a Maryland native, grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Centerburg after his mother passed away when he was 3 years old. At a young age, Davis began helping his grandfather till 100 acres. The family grew corn, wheat and oats, and young Doug helped with the plowing and bailing.
When Davis began playing football at the age of 13, his childhood of farm labor immediately paid dividends.
“All that work on the farm helped me,” Davis told the Star Tribune. “I started as a lineman and did well because I had physically matured more than most of the other kids.”
Davis was nicknamed “The Bear” in high school for his monstrosity. He played offensive and defensive tackle, and he was also the Mid-Buckeye Conference’s top punter. He plowed holes for Centerburg’s dynamic two-man backfield – Gerald Moreland and Dave Hollis – and led Centerburg to quality seasons in 1960 and 1961.
While the Trojans could never top Licking Heights or Granville for the conference title, they were always in the hunt.
Davis was a multi-sport athlete at Centerburg, as he used his size and physicality to excel on the basketball court as well. But he was most wanted for his football skills – over 20 colleges recruited him, according to newspaper reports – and he eventually signed with the University of Kentucky. Davis was recognized as a national high school All-American his senior year.
Davis spent four years in Lexington and became an all-SEC offensive lineman. He was taken in the fifth round (72nd overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft by Bud Grant’s Minnesota Vikings. He would appear in 79 games and start in 41 over a seven-year career in Minnesota, which included two Super Bowl runs.
According to the Mount Vernon News, Davis earned the starting right tackle job by Week 2 of his rookie season, and he kept it until an injury sidelined him late in the season. Davis was a key component to the Vikings’ powerful offensive line in the late ‘60s, which included Grady Alderman, Mick Tingelhoff, Jim Vellone and Milt Sunde.
While the pages of a newspaper are typically reserved for football’s flashier positions, like running back or receiver, Davis earned headline praise in 1968 for his efforts against legendary Colts defensive end Bubba Smith. Smith, a 6-foot-7, 295-pound pro-bowler, could do little against the burly farm boy from Centerburg. Davis earned the Vikings’ game ball for his performance.
“Doug has played good football against some of the best defensive men in pro ball,” Minnesota’s line coach John Micheals told reporters afterwards.
Davis started eight games at tackle in 1969, when the Vikings went 12-2 and earned a trip to Super Bowl IV. The Vikings lost the title game to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Davis made history by becoming the first Knox County product to appear in a Super Bowl. He remains the only one to this day.
In 2016, the NFL sent the Centerburg High School a golden football to commemorate Davis’ contribution to the league. It was the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl, and the league sent an honorary ball to each high school that produced a Super Bowl player. The golden football still sits in Centerburg High School’s ‘Wall of Fame’ case.
Davis retired from the NFL in 1973 after knee injuries forced him to quit the game. He is listed among the top 30 offensive linemen in Vikings history. When asked before his rookie season what he liked so much about playing the position, Davis said he wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work.
“I enjoy playing on the offensive line,” he told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “I get a real thrill out of throwing a block that enables a man to get loose for a long gain or a touchdown.”
After retiring from professional football, Davis turned a part-time insurance job into his full-time occupation. He and his family moved down to Florida, where he eventually became a highly respected national sales director for a water technology company.
Davis passed away in 2011 at the age of 66, but his legacy lives on as one of the greatest athletes ever to emerge from Centerburg and Knox County.
