Bill Davis (born November 5, 1965) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach who is the

linebackers coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). A 27-year NFL coach, Davis has coached linebackers for 14 seasons in the

(NFL), with the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. During his 14 years coaching linebackers, Davis coached outside linebackers for 4 years, inside linebackers for 4 years and the remaining 6 years Davis coached both inside and outside linebackers, having control of the entire unit. Davis also has 7 years of defensive coordinating experience for the San Francisco 49ers (2005-2006), the Arizona Cardinals (2009-10) and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. Davis was a member of Ken Whisenhunt’s

staff in 2008 when the team advanced to

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

and played Pittsburgh.

Early life

Davis was born on November 5, 1965 in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. His father,

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...

, coached in the NFL for 13 years, included the six years he was the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

' Vice President of Player Personnel. As a youth, Davis was hired to be a

ball boy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tennis ...

for

Dick Vermeil Richard Albert Vermeil (; born October 30, 1936) is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. Lou ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

College years

Davis attended the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and was a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and wide receiver on the football team from 1985 to 1988. Davis met

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...

during this time and was the best man in his wedding.

.
Bill Davis
Retrieved on March 25, 2008.

Coaching career

Michigan State

Davis began his football coaching career as a graduate assistant for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

Pittsburgh Steelers

In 1992, Davis entered the NFL as the defensive assistant for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. For most of his football career, Davis had played and coached on the Offensive side of the ball, but under head coach

Bill Cowher William Laird Cowher (born May 8, 1957) is an American sports analyst, former football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 se ...

, Davis coached the Pittsburgh defense for three years.

Carolina Panthers

In 1995, under coach

Dom Capers Ernest Dominic Capers (born August 7, 1950) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Carolina Panthers and ...

, Davis spent four years with the newly created

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

. In his second year with Carolina, linebacker Kevin Greene finished first in the NFL in sacks with 14.5, and Lamar Lathon finished second in the NFL in sacks with 13.5. Both linebackers went to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

that year.

Cleveland Browns

In 1999, Davis spent a year as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach with the

Green Bay Packers

In 2000, Davis went to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

where he spent the year as a defensive assistant and line coach.

Atlanta Falcons

Davis then went to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in 2001, where he spent the next three seasons as the linebackers coach under

Dan Reeves Daniel Edward Reeves (January 19, 1944 – January 1, 2022) was an American football running back and coach in the National Football League (NFL). During his 38 years in the NFL, Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls, the third most for an ...

. Davis helped then

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

Wade Phillips Harold Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL. He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He has also ser ...

implement his new 3-4 defense. During Davis' three years at Atlanta, linebacker Keith Brooking went to the

each year and had over 100 tackles for 3 consecutive seasons with his career best of 127 tackles.

New York Giants

Davis was the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

linebackers coach in 2004. Davis coached both Carlos Emmons and Kevin Lewis with both posting their career best 100 plus tackles. According to

Tim Lewis, Bill commanded the room whenever speaking to players and compiled blitz packages, a job usually done by the defensive coordinator.SFGate
49ers hire Davis as defensive coordinator.
Retrieved on March 26, 2008

San Francisco 49ers

On February 6, 2005, Davis was hired by

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

head coach

Mike Nolan Michael Tullis Nolan (born March 7, 1959) is a former American football coach. Nolan previously served as a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and a defensive coordinator for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins ...

to be the defensive coordinator on the team after a six-hour interview.

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

Niners hire Billy Davis as defensive coordinator
Retrieved on March 26, 2008. One of the reasons Davis got the job was because he had experience with the 3-4 defense that Nolan wanted to implement in San Francisco's defense and a recommendation Nolan got from

DC Tim Lewis. As a non play calling Defensive Coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, CB Walt Harris was selected to his first Pro Bowl after his NFC leading 8 interceptions including 1 return for a touchdown. Harris also led San Francisco with 5 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Linebacker Brandon Moore had breakout season posting a career best 114 tackles and leading the team with 6.5 sacks. Also, linebacker Brandon Moore had a breakout season posting a career best 114 tackles and leading the team with 6.5 sacks.

Arizona Cardinals

In 2007, Davis was hired by the

as their linebackers coach under head coach

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently an offensive analyst for Penn State. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the twelfth round of the 198 ...

. In 2007 (Arizona Cardinals), Davis coached Calvin Pace to a career best 100 plus tackles and career best 6.5 sacks which led Pace to sign the highest linebacker free agent contract of that season. In 2008, the Cardinals advanced to

but ended up losing to the Steelers 23–27. In 2007 and 2008 (Arizona Cardinals) both Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes eclipsed 100 tackles each year, with Dansby leading the team in 2007 (117 tackles) and setting a new career best in 2008 (128 tackles). Hayes posted 107 tackles in 2008 marking the second consecutive season under Davis that he recorded 100 plus tackles. In 2009, Davis was promoted to the defensive coordinator. His unit allowed 325 points, the 5th lowest total of the franchise since the NFL went to a 16 game schedule in 1978. The Cardinals also has 21 interceptions during the regular season, the team's highest total since 1994. Arizona defense finished 6th in the NFL with 43 sacks, the 3rd highest total since 1983. Safety, Adrian Wilson, DT Darnell Dockett, S Antrel Rolle and CB Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie were all selected to the Pro Bowl for that season. In 2009 the Arizona Cardinals lost in the Divisional round to the New Orleans Saints who went on to win the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns

On January 31, 2011, Davis was hired by the

as their linebackers coach. In 2011-2012, while at the Cleveland Browns, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson also posted consecutive 100 plus tackle seasons with a career best 149 tackles in 2011. Paired with Davis's coaching, in addition to his 149 career best tackles, Jackson earned his 1st Pro Bowl alternate selection.

Philadelphia Eagles

On February 7, 2013, Davis was hired by the

as their defensive coordinator under head coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game a ...

. Under Davis, in 2014, the Eagles defense tied for 2nd in the NFL for sacks (49), ranked 5th in rush yards per attempt and tied for 6th in takeaways (28), including an NFL high 23 forced fumbles. In 2014, Connor Barwin was selected to his first Pro Bowl appearance. In 2015, DT Fletcher Coxs and S Malcolm Jenkins were both selected to the Pro Bowl, despite the team rank of 31st in pass TD's allowed and 32nd in rushing yards allowed. Following that season, Fletcher Cox, Malcolm Jenkins and Mychal Kendricks all signed their highest contracts of their careers. On January 19, 2016, Davis was not retained after new head coach

Doug Pederson Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Pederson spent most of his 13-season playing career as ...

hired

Jim Schwartz James J. Schwartz (born June 2, 1966) is an American football coach who is a Senior Defensive Assistant for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) ...

to replace him.

Ohio State

In December 2016, Davis was hired by

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

as their linebackers coach. All of Davis's starting linebackers have had opportunities in the NFL. Chris Worley (Cincinnati Bengals), Jerome Baker (Miami Dolphins), Dante Booker (Arizona Cardinals) and Malik Harrison (Baltimore Ravens). During his two seasons, Ohio State finished 25-3 winning two Big 10 Championship Games.

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On January 11, 2019, Davis was hired by the

as their linebackers coach under defensive coordinator

Vance Joseph Vance Desmond Joseph (born September 20, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Previously he was the head coach of the Denver Bronco ...

and head coach

Kliff Kingsbury Kliff Timothy Kingsbury (born August 9, 1979) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously a collegiate football coach from 2008 to ...

. In 2019, linebacker Jordan Hicks recorded a career best 150 tackles, 3rd highest in the NFL for the 2019 season. Hicks also had an NFL best, 9 games with 10 or more tackles. In the 2019 also, Davis coached Chandler Jones to a career best/franchise record 19 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 7 strip-sacks season earning Jones the First Team All Pro and Pro Bowl selection. Jones was also named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year and runner up for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.In 2020, both Jordan Hicks and De'Vondre Campbell eclipsed 100 plus tackles for the 2020 season.

Personal life

Bill Davis lives with his wife, Sherry, and they are the parents of five children: Monica, Brooke, twins Grace and Ava and son Billy.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Billy 1965 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football wide receivers Arizona Cardinals coaches Atlanta Falcons coaches Carolina Panthers coaches Cincinnati Bearcats football players Cleveland Browns coaches Green Bay Packers coaches Michigan State Spartans football coaches National Football League defensive coordinators New York Giants coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches Philadelphia Eagles coaches Pittsburgh Steelers coaches San Francisco 49ers coaches Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio