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November 2, 2011
By Olivia Witherite/Liberty University News Service
Two-time Super Bowl champion Don Davis spoke to a packed crowd at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium tower Tuesday, where he talked about his football career and learning to live a Christian life largely from his role model, head coach Tony Dungy.
Davis spent 11 years in the NFL playing for the St. Louis Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New England Patriots. It was in New England where he won Super Bowl rings in 2003 and 2004. He later served as a strength coach and chaplain for the Patriots.
On Tuesday, Davis spoke on perseverance to Liberty students and community members, many donning Patriots jerseys and caps. He said after a strong career at the University of Kansas, multiple NFL teams cut him before he was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was there where he met Dungy, became a Christian and began to regularly read the Bible.
He said Dungy led by example.
“He never preached to me once,” Davis said. Instead, Davis learned by watching Dungy as a coach, husband and father. “His life was preaching to me in my life.”
Currently, Davis is a self-described “life coach” for the NFL Players Association. He works for all NFL teams and helps build relationships with players to assist them with their benefits and finances.
Weaved into Davis’ story was his advice to follow “four Cs” for success – Commitment, Confidence, Consistency and Character – and the three flaws necessary to overcome to reach it: not trading away future blessings for temporary pleasures; not putting passion ahead of principles; and if you find something you love, it doesn’t matter how much you get paid.
“I hope that a lot of the students will just kind of realize my story, realizing … there are characteristics you need to achieve greatness,” Davis said.
After his speech, he turned the microphone over to the audience for a question-and-answer session mediated by Psychology Department Chairman Dr. Dan Logan. Questions ranged from specific games he had played to details of his testimony. He also signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked with students.
“I thought that he was amazing. He was hilarious, and the way that he used his lifestyle as a ministry is fantastic,” said freshman communications student Amanda Bess.
This was Davis’ first time at Liberty, and he said he hopes to return soon.
“This is a beautiful facility,” he said. “I am very impressed with this athletic center. I’m impressed with the buildings that are coming up and all the building that you guys are doing. … I am very, very impressed with Liberty University.”
