In his first two seasons, he played briefly at several different positions.
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Willie Davis
In his first two seasons, he played briefly at several different positions.
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In his first two seasons, he played briefly at several different positions. Just when he appeared ready for a regular offensive tackle job in 1960, he was suddenly traded to Green Bay.
Willie was surprised and upset and briefly considered quitting. However, the Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, quickly assured Davis that Green Bay needed a top-flight defensive end and he thought Willie was the man. “I consider speed, agility and size to be the three most important attributes in a successful lineman,” Lombardi told Davis. “Give me a man who has any two of those dimensions and he’ll do okay. But give him all three and he’ll be great. We think you have all three.”
He was a hard-hitting, big play defender, who frequently dropped opposing ball carriers or quarterbacks for losses and or caused them to lose possession of the football. Always on the prowl, he recovered 21 opponents’ fumbles during his career, just one shy of the record when he retired.
Davis’ outstanding play did not go unnoticed. He was an All-NFL selection five times in six years from 1962 to 1967 and selected to play in five consecutive Pro Bowls. Undeniably Willie Davis was a major factor in Green Bay’s winning tradition of the 1960s that included five NFL championships and six divisional titles in eight seasons. Included in the historic championship run were impressive victories in the first two Super Bowls.
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An Evening With Willie Davis.
