Former Browns Hall Of Fame Defensive End Willie Davis Passes Away

Willie Davis, who started his career with the Cleveland Browns, passed away Wednesday, according to an announcement from the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Hall of Famer and @packers Legend Willie Davis has passed away at the age of 85.

More: https://t.co/zyH0XgGuNi pic.twitter.com/y5kT1uJWUi

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) April 15, 2020

Davis became a perennial Pro Bowler with the Green Bay Packers.

But he started as a two-way player for the Cleveland Browns.

Davis was also a two-way player at Grambling University.

He played linebacker and guard for the Tigers before the Browns drafted him in 1956.

https://twitter.com/HBCULEGACY1837/status/1028334236783263744

Like many young men of the age, Davis spent two years in the military before reporting to the Browns.

During the 1958 and 1959 seasons, Cleveland used Davis on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Davis believed he was being groomed to take over the Browns´ starting left tackle position in his third season.

A 15th-round draft pick from Grambling, Davis began his NFL career by playing both offense and defense for the Cleveland Browns. https://t.co/mkRznqwHF1

— KNOE 8 News (@KNOE8) April 15, 2020

But Vince Lombardi pulled off a stunning trade to bring Davis to Green Bay.

When he heard about the trade on the radio, Davis considered retiring.

In a book he authored about his Green Bay experience, Davis wrote,

“At the time, I felt slightly betrayed. I felt the organization didn’t care much about me, like I was being thrown away. I also panicked, wondering what this would mean for my future. I absolutely did not want to play in Green Bay.

But Lombardi had big plans for Davis and made sure he didn´t retire.

Lombardi´s Sales Pitch Proved Prophetic

Davis´ book is titled, “Closing The Gap: Lombardi, the Packers Dynasty and the Pursuit of Excellence.”

In it, Davis recalls Lombardi explaining his theory that speed, agility, and size are the keys to a good lineman.

He told Davis,

“Give me a man who has any two of those dimensions and he’ll do OK. But give him all three and he’ll be great. We think you have all three.”

But the offensive line wasn´t in Lombardi´s mind.

Davis would go on to play 156 consecutive games at defensive end for the Packers.

RIP to Hall of Fame DE and #Packers icon Willie Davis. We were privileged to excerpt his 2012 book in which he wrote about the racial dynamic of being a black player for Green Bay in the 1960s.https://t.co/labOSf0SYx

— ThePostGame (@ThePostGame) April 15, 2020

In an era when sacks and tackles weren´t tallied, it is widely believed Davis racked up over 120 sacks.

Some former teammates believe the number is much higher, including 40 in just three seasons.

Those seasons were the Packers´ consecutive NFL Championship seasons of 1963-1965.

That includes the first two Super Bowls.

Davis agrees.

“I would think I would have to be the team’s all-time leader in sacks. I played 10 years and I averaged in the ‘teens’ in sacks for those 10 years. I had 25 one season. Paul Hornung just reminded me of that the other day.”

Willie Davis´ 22 fumble recoveries over that era remain a Packers team record.