Even if Terrell Davis just had a send-off moment he may never forget, it’s time to move his career forward.
To say T.D. is a Broncos’ Ring of Famer is like saying John Elway was once a starting quarterback. True, but more truth is left unsaid.
The remaining question for Davis: Did the running back play long enough to earn induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
“That’s the only thing that’s holding him back,” Elway said as he walked on the field for the pregame festivities Sunday honoring the Broncos’ 1997 Super Bowl team. “His career was great, but it depends what the voters do. Obviously, I think he should be in.”
The Broncos used halftime of their game Sunday against Jacksonville to make the no-brainer induction of Davis into their Ring of Fame. The ceremony seemed to go by in a blur. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said a few words, then brought the crowd’s attention to the large video screen behind the south stands.
While many of his magic moments were played, Davis held hands with his girlfriend, Tamiko Nash. His mother, Kateree, was among the family members on his flanks, along with other Ring of Fame members and teammates from his first Super Bowl team.
The current Broncos and Jaguars came out on the field for the start of the second half before Davis was brought to the podium. He started by thanking the fans. He ended by exhorting the fans to stand up for a countdown-timed Mile High Salute.
It was a touching moment.
“It makes you larger than life and I don’t see myself like that,” Davis said after the ceremony.
Immortality in Denver was given. What about Canton? Davis was among the 25 semifinalists in his first year of eligibility for the Hall last year, but didn’t make the cut to 17.
“I told him he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame and I think he’s going in this year,” said Floyd Little, the former Bronco running back who is fighting his own Hall of Fame battle.
Davis rushed for 1,117 yards as a rookie, then became the NFL’s undisputed top back in the three-year period from 1996-98. He rushed for 1,538 yards in 1996; ran for 1,750 yards and was the Super Bowl MVP in 1997; ran for 2,008 yards while earning the league’s MVP award and aiding the Broncos to a second Super Bowl title in 1998.
“People who say he doesn’t belong in the Hall aren’t thinking clearly,” said Bubby Brister, Elway’s backup during the Super Bowl years. “We don’t win two Super Bowls if TD’s not a Hall of Fame back those two years.”
Then came a knee injury early in 1999 and Davis was never the same.
“There are guys (in the Hall) who played 12 years who might have been great four,” Elway said. “Terrell played seven and was great for six. What he did in the years he played, he deserves it.”
Davis’ case for the Hall is most often compared to Gale Sayers. Can anybody imagine Canton without the Kansas Comet? Yet, Sayers had just four healthy seasons.
“Yeah, they talk about the Gale Sayers rule somewhat,” Davis said. “But I am blessed and happy with where I am right now. If all that happens is I’m placed in the Ring of Fame and that’s it? I’m happy.”
Ringing in T.D.
A look at Ring of Famer Terrell Davis:
3 major NFL awards: 1997 Super Bowl MVP, 1998 NFL MVP, NFL 1990s all-decade team.
113.9 all-purpose yards per game over eight seasons, for an average of 97.5 yards rushing per game, third best in NFL history.
196th pick overall, when drafted in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
2,008 yards rushing in 1998, and three seasons with more than 1,500 yards each.
7,607 rushing yards, making him the Broncos’ all-time leading rusher.
