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| Jeff Davis |
| Even though Clemson's football heritage is 100-years-old, it does not take long to determine the most significant accomplishment in the program's history-the 1981 National Championship. And, along the same lines, it does not take long to single out the most significant team leader of that great accomplishment-Jeff Davis. When examining Davis's contributions to Clemson athletics in terms of leadership, citicenship and athletic records and awards, it is no surprise that he became the fourth member of the Clemson Ring of Honor prior to the opener of the 1995 season. The native of Greensboro, NC registered a then Clemson record 175 tackles in leading a 1981 defense that set a school record for turnovers forced (41) in a season. He still holds the Clemson career record for caused fumbles (10) and recovered fumbles (8), and his 24 tackles against North Carolina in 1980 rank second in school history. He played 40 games for Clemson between 1978-81 and had 469 career tackles, 16 passes broken up, 18 tackles for loss, four sacks and four interceptions. He started all 35 games for the Tigers between 1979-81. He was a model of consistency, having registered at least double figures in tackles in 22 of his last 23 games. Overall, he had 30 double figure tackle games in his 40-game career and led the Clemson team in tackles 25 times. "It is hard to express my feelings on being inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor," said Davis. "This honor should be spread among my coaches and teammates and all of Clemson who had an impact on my life during my career. No one receives an honor like this without help. I want to thank the good Lord for giving me the ability and the opportunity to come to Clemson." For his accomplishments in 1981, Davis was named the MVP of the ACC, just the third defensive player in league history to win the award. He concluded the season in a grand style with a 14-tackle performance in the 22-15 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska that clinched the National Championship for the Tigers, Clemson's first national championship in any sport. Davis was named the Defensive MVP of the contest. At the conclusion of the season, Davis was named a first-team All-American by United Press, the Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers Association, the Walter Camp Foundation and the Football News. He was named the Lineman-of-the-Year by the Atlanta Touchdown Club. "We had purpose. We took everything one game at a time and did not get caught up in the chase for the National Championship. When we started the season, the championship was not a (realistic) goal. We were just coming off a 6-5 season in 1980 in which we all thought we could have done much better." After clinching the ACC title with a win over Maryland and the state championship with a convincing victory at South Carolina, Davis and his Clemson teammates prepared to meet fourth-ranked Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl, a game that would determine the National Championship. |