Stephen Davis-one of AU's all time best

[AU64 10,122]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/15/3243132/sc-hall-of-fame-stephen-davis.html

One of the guys that made Auburn famous as Running Back U.

[Warbird82 160]

Stephen Davis was certainly a very good RB at AU, but I always felt that he either under achieved or was under utilized...one of the two.  But he was a load fo sho!

[BirdofPrey76 0]

Stephen Davis was certainly a very good RB at AU, but I always felt that he either under achieved or was under utilized...one of the two.  But he was a load fo sho!

It was little bitty Bowden's fault.

[bwillaub 0]

Under-utilized for sure.

[gAUlf 1]

I kind of lost a little bit of respect for Davis after his little stunt with Lattimore and after Michael Westbrook beat the brakes off of him and his teammates just stood by.

[auriptide 0]

Agree, but we had the last laugh when it came to Latt.

[AUenginerd 33]

Agree, but we had the last laugh when it came to Latt.

Yes we did.  We gave him three losses including the EPIC beatdown in the dome.  No rings for you! 

[AU64 10,122]

I would say that his NFL career indicated that he was under-utilized.....and I recall that when he was AU there was some controversy about Davis not getting enough carries.  Don't know any background, but he has not maintained much contact with AU since leaving.    And it's interesting to me that the piece I linked had very little about AU in it...maybe because the emphasis was on his accomplishements in the state....but maybe more than that????

As for the Lattimore situation, it's just possible that he advised Lattimore on what he thought was best for Lattimore.  Considering that AU was running Gus's offense, Lattimore probably made the correct decision....he's a home state hero and has lived up to his billing (except for injuries).

[aubcali 538]

Stephen Davis was certainly a very good RB at AU, but I always felt that he either under achieved or was under utilized...one of the two.  But he was a load fo sho!

It was little bitty Bowden's fault.

Bingo.

[around4ever 4,140]

Davis didn't leave Auburn and Bowden with a good taste in his mouth.  Then, Coach Tuberville didn't give many former players the warm fuzzies when they returned or wanted to return. 

With that said, you can't blame Davis, who had gotten to know Lattimore and his family, for listening to the kid and his family and helping them to make the best possible choice for him and his family.  And besides that, I'm not sure how the NCAA would have looked at it.  There could have possibly been some illegal contacts involved if Lattimore had come to Auburn. 

[triangletiger 1,599]

I would say that his NFL career indicated that he was under-utilized.....and I recall that when he was AU there was some controversy about Davis not getting enough carries.  Don't know any background, but he has not maintained much contact with AU since leaving.    And it's interesting to me that the piece I linked had very little about AU in it...maybe because the emphasis was on his accomplishements in the state....but maybe more than that????

As for the Lattimore situation, it's just possible that he advised Lattimore on what he thought was best for Lattimore.   Considering that AU was running Gus's offense, Lattimore probably made the correct decision....he's a home state hero and has lived up to his billing (except for injuries).

I agree with this.  I don't hold it against Stephen Davis that Lattimore chose to go to USC.  If I were advising a young man on making a life decision, I would try to keep my personal biases out of it and help him to look at the facts and make the best decision for him.  Lattimore's decision has obviously worked out well for him.  Going to Auburn might have worked out well for him, too, but it was his decision to make.

[Tiger n Miami AU83 25]

I kinda think it was a two way street - Davis does not appear to love AU as much as many former players, but I am not sure he was totally embraced by the AU fanbase as much as many other star RBs.

When Davis came to AU, he was seriously hailed as the next Bo Jackson. He had similar measurables in size and 40 time, though Davis's 40 time was probably higher than the 4.2 that was reported out of HS, while Bo's was legit.

In 1993, there was an electric feel when Davis got the ball. I remember his first couple of carries in his first game were long runs and I think one was about 30 yards down the sideline for a  TD. The expectations for him really got unreal and went through the roof. However, Bostic was the workhorse of the '93 team. In 1994, Davis was expected to totally dominate and AU people thought he would be a heisman contender. He had a very good season, but he was just not as dynamic as AU people hoped/expected. He had great speed, but not Bo speed. He broke tackles at times, but not like Bostic and not like Bo, which it seemed people really expected.

All in all, he put up very good numbers for AU and was a great RB. I just feel he was never truely embraced like he may should have been and that was due to totally insane expectations. And by the way, Bowden utilized him plenty in 1994 and 1995.

[SCWarEagle 4]

I don't mind Davis advising the kid to Make his own decision. What I do mind is him taking part in that bull#%*^ cutesy little charade with those hats.

I know a lot of you are more evolved than me, but if somebody spits in my face, I remember it. He knew what he was doing.

This is coming from a South Carolinian and an AU grad.

[NoALtiger 4,279]

Has he even been back since he left? 2010 would have obviously been a good opportunity as many former players seemed to re-emerge back in to the AU fold.

[Iron_chin_chiz 0]

Yeah I definitely haven't been a fan of Stephen Davis since the Lattimore hat crap. I can't see myself recommending any other school but Auburn to anybody, but it was the hat crap that really irked me. Lattimore would have done well at any school, but I don't think he would have gotten hurt like he did had he come to Auburn. He could have been a great one. Oh well we have plenty of talent in the backfield and always will.

[AU64 10,122]

I doubt Davis had anything to do with Lattimore and the "hat" business.  He's an adult and those antics are kid's stuff.  Davis was there to support the kid and the family....nothing more than that.

As for his time at AU....as noted above, Bostic was selected by Bowden to be the feature back and Tot tried to convert Davis to a blocking back/full back because of his size.    Davis had the speed and the ability to rack up the yards....see  his NFL stats if any questions....he had over 8000 yards with some mediocre teams.

And just to be sure....check his career stats. 

Davis played three years (1993, 1994, 1995) for Auburn University starting in his sophomore year. He made the All-SEC team his last two seasons and graduated as the team's fourth all-time leading rusher behind Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, and Bo Jackson. He was also a letterman for all three seasons.

Davis currently holds the record for rush attempts (1,945), rush yards (8,052) and rushing TDs (65) amongst all Auburn alumni in NFL history.

He might have left AU on less than good terms but please don't diss his accomplishments here.

[Tiger n Miami AU83 25]

He was really a horse in 1994. I remember fans worrying he was being relied on too much at one point when he was getting 25+ carries a game. He ended 1994 with 221 carries and about 1400 yards or so.

But, as noted, he was not utilized much in 1993 with Bostic being the horse, then in 1995 his role diminished significantly with Damion Craig coming into his own and TB designing the offense around him more and more.

[AUpocalypse 12]

In 1993, there was an electric feel when Davis got the ball. I remember his first couple of carries in his first game were long runs and I think one was about 30 yards down the sideline for a  TD. The expectations for him really got unreal and went through the roof.

His first carry went for 33+/- yards vs. Samford in '93..

I remember the day in '92 when an article came out in the Bham News that Auburn had landed the commitment of what would have been the top recruit in the country arguably, a Parade All American who had run for something like 2500 yards/40ish TDs his Senior year. I was just a kid at the time and to this day I've never been more excited about someone coming to AU. I really thought he was the second coming of Bo. I still have that article tucked away somewhere.

I was told by somewhat jokingly by a coach once, during practice Davis ran every other kickoff back for a TD... he fumbled/dropped the other half. That's not a knock, just a testament to the nasty things that guy could do with a football.

[Tiger n Miami AU83 25]

In 1993, there was an electric feel when Davis got the ball. I remember his first couple of carries in his first game were long runs and I think one was about 30 yards down the sideline for a  TD. The expectations for him really got unreal and went through the roof.

His first carry went for 33+/- yards vs. Samford in '93..

I remember the day in '92 when an article came out in the Bham News that Auburn had landed the commitment of what would have been the top recruit in the country arguably, a Parade All American who had run for something like 2500 yards/40ish TDs his Senior year. I was just a kid at the time and to this day I've never been more excited about someone coming to AU. I really thought he was the second coming of Bo. I still have that article tucked away somewhere.

I was told by somewhat jokingly by a coach once, during practice Davis ran every other kickoff back for a TD... he fumbled/dropped the other half. That's not a knock, just a testament to the nasty things that guy could do with a football.

Yep. That was it. 33 yards against Samford. I was at that game with my parents...

That was just it though... He really was thought to be the second coming of Bo and he just had massively unrealistic expectations from day 1. That said, he was a VERY good back for us.

[IronMan70 3,322]

Stephen Davis, one of my favorite Auburn players of all time. When he went into the NFL, I followed every one of his games with the Redskins, Panthers and his last NFL year with the Rams. 

[IronMan70 3,322]

I doubt Davis had anything to do with Lattimore and the "hat" business.   He's an adult and those antics are kid's stuff.   Davis was there to support the kid and the family....nothing more than that.

As for his time at AU....as noted above, Bostic was selected by Bowden to be the feature back and Tot tried to convert Davis to a blocking back/full back because of his size.     Davis had the speed and the ability to rack up the yards....see  his NFL stats if any questions....he had over 8000 yards with some mediocre teams.

And just to be sure....check his career stats. 

Davis played three years (1993, 1994, 1995) for Auburn University starting in his sophomore year. He made the All-SEC team his last two seasons and graduated as the team's fourth all-time leading rusher behind Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, and Bo Jackson. He was also a letterman for all three seasons.

Davis currently holds the record for rush attempts (1,945), rush yards (8,052) and rushing TDs (65) amongst all Auburn alumni in NFL history.

He might have left AU on less than good terms but please don't diss his accomplishments here.

^ THIS

[bird36 5]

I was a student When SD was playing for Auburn.  One thing I remember is he was deadly on the shuffle pass, and CTB would give him several shuffle passes a game.  These yards did not count for his rushing totals but they were basically draws up the middle. 

[DyeCampAlum 335]

Here's what I remember.  Teams would load up the box, and Bowden would turn to the pass.  Nothing wrong with that all by itself, but with a kid like Davis you have to at least test whether you can dominate your opponent on the ground.  I think Davis was a great back among a bunch of great Auburn backs, and while Bowden could have taken better advantage of him, he had a great career.

Not many #1 recruits turn out better than Davis did.

[milehighfan 1,268]

I remember the 94 game against UGA and the dawns had no clue as to how to stop Davis or AU's  running game as the tigers went out to a 20-0 lead. AU took over at about midfield, and I kept screaming at my tv for AU TO just give it to Davis, ra, it down their throats, score and you can put these dogs to sleep. But, might mite elected to throw it long. It got picked off and then Eric Zeir came in and led a comeback as the game ended in a 20 all tie, ending AU's and Bowden's win streak. But I remember Davis being a load UGA had trouble with all game long.

[1auburn1 1,148]

"Marcus, I'm honored that you have allowed me to help you and your family in this most important decision.  PLease pick whichever school you feel most comfortable with but if you are picking USCe, let me know now because I want to be off stage because it would be disrespectful to my school to be up here while you celebrate choosing another school over them".   

That's what he SHOULD have done.  Instead, he smiled and laughed while ML put away the AU hat.  Great recruiting tool for Spurrier should this ever happen again.