Bruce Edward Davis II (born September 2, 1985) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

in 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). He played

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for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

and was drafted by 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 ...

in the third round (88th overall) of the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. In his rookie season, he helped the Steelers defeat 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 ...

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 ...

. Davis was also a member of the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

, and is the son of former NFL offensive tackle Bruce Davis.

Early years

Davis attended Clear Creek High School in

League City, Texas League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129. The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris C ...

. As a junior, he made 32 tackles, including eight sacks. He earned All-Greater Houston area and All-League honors after he recorded 65 tackles (50 solo), 12 quarterback sacks and 17 tackles for loss as a senior.

College career

At the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, Davis played

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He redshirted his freshman year with the Bruins in 2003. In 2004, he played in all 12 games, starting the first two contests, at defensive end. He had 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In 2005 Davis moved to outside linebacker from defensive end during the spring and played both positions early in the season before moving back to end due to injuries on the team. He appeared in all 12 games and his 28 tackles for the season and was tied for third on the team with two sacks and was sixth with six tackles for losses. As a junior in 2006, he was named first-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and SI.com and he was selected second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference. On the year, Davis made 47 tackles, with 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. In 2007, he was a second-team All-American choice by The NFL Draft Report and the

Walter Camp Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

and was again second-team All-Pac-10. He was a semifinalist for the

Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Americ ...

and was on the watch lists for the

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, Nagurski, Lombardi and Hendricks Awards. He started all 13 games at right defensive end, ranking tied for ninth in the nation and tied for first in the league with 12 sacks. He ranked sixth in the Pac-10 with 15.5 stops for losses. On the year he recorded 45 tackles (32 solos) caused two fumbles and recovered another and deflected nine passes and defensed 3 others. Davis ranks second in school history with 29 quarterback sacks, topped only by Dave Ball’s 30.5 (2000–03). His 42.5 stops for losses rank third in school annals behind Ball (43.5) and

Carnell Lake Carnell Augustino Lake (born July 15, 1967) is an American former professional football player and coach who is the defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL). He was a safety and cornerback in the ...

(45.5, 1985–88).

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pittsburgh Steelers

Davis was drafted by the

in the third round (88th overall) of the

. After being drafted by the Steelers, he was converted to outside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 defense, though faced difficulty in the transition, as he was inactive for most of his rookie season. He was waived on September 4, 2009.

New England Patriots

Davis was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on October 7, 2009. After spending the remainder of the season on the practice squad, he was re-signed to a future contract on January 13, 2010. The Patriots waived Davis on May 27, 2010.

Denver Broncos

Davis was claimed off waivers by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

on June 1, 2010. He was waived on July 27.

San Francisco 49ers

Davis was signed by the

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 ...

on August 10, 2010. On September 3, 2010, Davis was cut from the 53-player roster that would go on to play regular season games. The 49ers then re-signed him to their practice squad on September 5, 2010; he was released from his contract nine days later. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 22.

Oakland Raiders

On October 5, 2010, the Oakland Raiders signed Davis to their active roster to help bolster the team's injury-depleted linebacker corps. He was waived a year later on October 13, 2011.

Cincinnati Bengals

On November 23, 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Davis to their practice squad.

Second Stint With the 49ers

On January 3, 2012, the San Francisco 49ers signed Davis to their practice squad.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On August 4, 2012, Davis was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and assigned to their practice squad. On August 16, he was promoted to the active roster and started his first career game vs. Winnipeg.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsNew England Patriots bioPittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Bruce 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Los Angeles American football linebackers UCLA Bruins football players Pittsburgh Steelers players New England Patriots players Denver Broncos players San Francisco 49ers players Oakland Raiders players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players People from League City, Texas Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas