Tag: Willie Davis

50 legends who could be inducted into National High School Football Hall of Fame

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

The National High School Football Hall of Fame will soon be settling into Canton, Ohio – per Josh Weir at the Canton Repository.

In five days’ time, 18 players will be inducted into the inaugural class. That group will be narrowed down from a group of 50 legends of the sport who are eligible to be inducted. The induction ceremony will take place on July 30 at the Timken Auditorium at the Timken Career Campus in Canton.

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

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Willie Davis is actually the Green Bay Packers’ all-time leader in sacks

New statistics from before 1982 reveal Willie Davis as the Packers’ all-time leader in sacks.

There’s a new all-time leader in sacks for the Green Bay Packers.

Hall of Famer Willie Davis produced more sacks than any player in franchise history.

Decades of research from John Turney and Nick Webster of the Pro Football Researchers Association gave Pro Football Reference the confidence to add sack statistics from 1960 to 1982, when sacks became an official statistic, to their already impressive database of football statistics.

Clay Matthews is currently the Packers’ all-time leader in sacks at 83.5. According to the new stats, Davis actually holds the mark at 93.5, but the data from 1960 isn’t yet registered, meaning he probably has closer to 100 total sacks based on Turney and Webster’s research.

Over 10 years in Green Bay between 1960 and 1969, Davis produced five seasons with 10 or more sacks, including four years straight between 1964 and 1967. He was a first-team All-Pro each season.

The numbers paint a clear picture: Davis was one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL during the 1960s.

A five-time champion and six-time All-Pro, Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. He died in April of 2020 at the age of 85.

The added stats also helped former Packers pass-rusher Ezra Johnson, who had 17.5 sacks in 1978 and is now third in franchise history in sacks at 82.0. Lionel Aldridge (62.0, 1963-1971), Henry Jordan (52.0, 1959-1969) and Clarence Williams (49.0, 1970-1977) were also added to the team’s top 10.

Green Bay Packers legend, Hall of Famer Willie Davis dies at 85

Davis was an All-Pro five times, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowls I and II. Playing for the legendary Vince Lombardi, Davis also won five NFL championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967).

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Green Bay Packers legend Willie Davis died Wednesday at 85.

Davis was an All-Pro five times, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowls I and II. Playing for the legendary Vince Lombardi, Davis also won five NFL championships (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967).

Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981 and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team from the 1960s and Walter Camp Man of the Year in 1986.

Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

“It is with great sadness the entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Willie Davis,” Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement. “Willie’s extraordinary athleticism was an undeniable factor in Green Bay’s winning tradition of the 1960s under Coach Lombardi. He helped the Packers through an unprecedented championship run and to two Super Bowl victories. Willie was a man of true character on and off the field. The Hall of Fame will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration to future generations.”

 

 

Packers legend and Hall of Famer Willie Davis passes away at age 85

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the passing of Packers legend Willie Davis on Wednesday.

Green Bay Packers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis passed away Wednesday. He was 85.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced his passing.

Davis, a draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1958, was acquired by Vince Lombardi and the Packers in 1960. He played 10 years at defensive end with the Packers, winning five NFL championships and two Super Bowl titles while becoming one of the most dominant defensive players in football. He was a six-time All-Pro selection, five-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade team.

Davis recovered 21 fumbles and would almost certainly be high on both the NFL’s and team’s all-time leaderboard for sacks had the statistic been tracked officially in the 1960s. He played in all 162 games over his 12-year career, which ended in 1969.

Few were more dominant in the game.

Between 1960 and 1969, Davis had the fourth-highest “Approximate Value” among all NFL players, according to Pro Football Reference. Only Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown and Fran Tarkenton were more valuable during those 10 years.

Davis is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

From Hall of Fame director David Baker:

“It is with great sadness the entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Willie Davis. Willie’s extraordinary athleticism was an undeniable factor in Green Bay’s winning tradition of the 1960s under Coach Lombardi. He helped the Packers through an unprecedented championship run and to two Super Bowl victories. Willie was a man of true character on and off the field. The Hall of Fame will forever keep his legacy alive to serve as inspiration to future generations.”