TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Willie Davis 1934–2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Business Leader
R etired Green Bay Packers 1954), a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi ® , entered the Chapter Invisible on April 15, 2020 at the age of 85 due to kidney failure. Davis is one of nine members of Kappa Alpha Psi enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. defensive end and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Willie Davis (Gamma Psi The Pro Football Hall of Fame on the passing of Brother Davis said, “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 unprec- edented 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.” Davis’s team, the NFL Green Bay Packers, released the following statement, "The Green Bay Packers Family was saddened today to learn about the passing of Willie Davis.
One of the great defensive players of his era, Willie was a significant contributor to the Packers’ five NFL championship teams during the 1960s.” William Delford Davis was born on July 24, 1934, in Lisbon, LA., the son of David and Nodie Davis. An outstanding all-around athlete in high school, Davis attracted the attention of famed Gram- bling State College (now University) and College Football Hall of Fame head football coach Eddie Robinson. While recruiting young Davis, Coach Robinson assured Davis’s mother of her concerns for her son’s safety playing college foot- ball. Davis earned HBCU All-American recognition for his play on the gridiron which included playing for an unde- feated Grambling football team in 1955. In addition to his football exploits, Davis was on the dean’s list and earn a degree in mathematics and industrial arts. Drafted in the 15 th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, Davis played two uninspiring seasons as Hall of Fame coach of the Browns under Paul Brown who converted Davis to an offensive lineman. In 1959, Browns gave up on Davis and traded the young
veteran to the Green Bay Packers. Now looking back, the trade was one of the NFL’s most lopsided trades. Upon join- ing his new team, Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi returned Davis to his natural position of defensive end where Davis would remain and establish his Hall of Fame playing career. While playing for one of professional sports greatest dynasties, the Vince Lombardi-led Green Bay Packers, Davis played with a dozen Pro Football Hall of Famers, won five NFL championship teams including a member of the first two Super Bowl champions. He was voted by the football media as All-Pro five times. Davis played in the famed Ice Bowl between his Packers and the Dallas Cowboys where the legend- ary game was played in arctic freezing temperatures. The previous season, in a late season road game vs the Baltimore Colts, Davis caused Colts QB John Unitas to fumble the football to the Packers sealing the victory. In NFL lore, the Davis’s play was called the “Million Dollar Fumble.” He was the first African American team captain for the Packers franchise. Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. The
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