Kyle Wayne Davis (October 1, 1952) is a former
American football center in the
National Football League for the
Dallas Cowboys and
San Francisco 49ers. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Oklahoma.
Early years
Davis attended Altus High School before moving on to the
University of Oklahoma. He spent his first two years as a backup at
center, behind
All-American Tom Brahaney.
As a junior, he was named the starting
center after Brahaney graduated.
As a senior, he was a key part of the school's championship team, receiving third-team
All-American and second-team
All-Big Eight honors. He was considered a powerful blocker in the team's record-setting
wishbone offense and also served as a
long snapper.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Davis was selected by the
Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (113th overall) of the
1975 NFL Draft
The 1975 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartko ...
, also known as the
Dirty Dozen draft. As a rookie, he was the backup
center and was used mainly on
special teams and as a
long snapper.
In the divisional playoffs against the
Minnesota Vikings, when
John Fitzgerald hurt his right elbow and had trouble snapping the ball in the
shotgun formation, Davis took over the
center duties in the last minutes of the game with a 14-10 deficit.
Roger Staubach proceeded to hit
Drew Pearson on a sideline route to convert a 4th-and-16 play and then both connected again on the famous
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
.
In
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
, he was lost for the season with a knee injury and was placed on the
injured reserve list on August 23. He was waived on August 1,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
.
Minnesota Vikings
On August 9,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, he was claimed off waivers by the
Minnesota Vikings. He was released on September 13.
New England Patriots
On May 3,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, he signed with 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 ...
, but was waived to make room for
Bob McKay
Robert Charles McKay (born December 27, 1947) is a former National Football League offensive lineman who played from 1970 through 1978, with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots.
As a college player at the University of Texas, McKay ear ...
on August 15.
Detroit Lions
On August 17,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, he was claimed him off waivers by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He was released before the season started.
San Francisco 49ers
On November 3,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, he signed with the
San Francisco 49ers and got a chance to play in 7 regular season games.
He was waived on August 1,
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
.
New York Giants
On August 6,
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, 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. ...
claimed him off waivers.
He was released on August 13.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Kyle
1952 births
Living people
People from Washita County, Oklahoma
Players of American football from Oklahoma
American football centers
Oklahoma Sooners football players
Dallas Cowboys players
San Francisco 49ers players