Former lineman inducted into Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame
John Davis has been recognized once again for his exploits on the gridiron.
Davis is a 1983 Gilmer High alum and one of 40 players set for induction into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame.
Davis went on to star at Georgia Tech and will be inducted alongside seven former Yellow Jackets including Pepper Rodgers (Brown High), Billy Lothridge (Gainesville), Lucius Sanford (West Fulton), Eddie Lee Ivery (Thomson), Mackel Harris (Americus), Pat Swilling (Stephens County) and Ken Swilling (Stephens County).
“I never would have thought this was possible,” Davis said last Friday. “The list of names from the first year to the second year, it’s humbling to be mentioned with some of these people. I also have the opportunity to go in with my teammate Pat Swilling, and I’m looking forward to that as well.
“It’s a real honor, and I think I appreciate it more for my kids (Olivia, Harrison, John Henry III and Julia) because they really didn’t know what I used to do. When they get opportunities to go up to Ellijay or down to Georgia Tech, they appreciate it more, so I’m excited for them as well.”
Davis received a baptism by fire in one of Gilmer’s most notable wins. GHS entered the 1979 season with a 0-15-1 record versus perennial power Cartersville. The Purple Hurricanes were led by Robert Lavette, who was named Back of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for Class 2A at season’s end. Lavette would be an eventual teammate of Davis’ at Tech.
On that fateful October night under the lights of Huff-Mosley Memorial Stadium, the Bobcats came out on top, 7-6. The victory was cemented when GHS stonewalled the Canes on a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute of the game.
“That was the first game I started on the offensive line,” Davis recalled. “Lee Penland was the right guard and my brother Jeff was the tight end. I remember it because I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I had Lee there to coach me and tell me what to do, and we made it through. I knew I could play football, and they gave me the opportunity to get out there. At the end of the day, we upset them. It was one of those memorable games because we had never beat them.”
By 1982, the Bobcats had a formidable team led by Davis up front, and Gilmer ended the regular season with an 8-2 record. The Cats took down Oconee County 14-0 in the first round of the region playoffs before falling to East Hall by the same margin in week 12.
“We were very under-rated but showed up every night to put ourselves in position to get into the playoffs. I think we only had about 25 or 26 players on that team,” Davis said.
“David Totherow was kind of our on-field leader. He commanded attention to how we were going to represent Gilmer and always play hard. David is one of the toughest people I’ve ever been around. I credit him a lot with my success, not only in high school, but in college and the NFL.”
Davis capped his Bobcat career with a first team all-state selection and was voted the AJC’s Lineman of the Year for Class 2A.
“I was blessed to be a part of that community,” Davis said. “I always represented myself in a proper way. I grew up in the restaurant, and it wasn’t like I could hide from people. I was blessed to have good coaches back then like Tim Marchman, my head coach Doug Davenport for a couple years, Ken Buffington and the Pettit brothers (Mark and John).”
Davis now had a decision to make. Ellijay is Bulldog country and UGA was fresh off a national title in 1980. He had five official visits scheduled at the University of Georgia, University of Virginia, University of Tennessee, University of North Carolina and Tech.
Davis grew up as a fan of the Bulldogs. His visit to UGA included Herschel Walker and the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs thumping Tech, 38-18, and Davis was ready to put recruiting behind him.
“Recruiting was very intense. At the end, Georgia coaches were around three to four times a week,” he said. “One day, I was at basketball practice, and four coaches showed up. The pressure got to the point where all I wanted to do was play basketball. Recruiting was during basketball season, and I didn’t want to be away from my team.
“The next day after they beat Tech, we got in the car and I told dad, ‘I’ve had enough. I’m just going to commit to Georgia. I don’t want to go through this any more.’”
However, the elder Davis was not sold on the idea.
“My dad said, ‘No, you’ve made five official visits, and you promised these coaches you’d come and see them,’” Davis said. “Thankfully, he held my feet to the fire, and I went through all of my visits. At the end of the day, I knew Georgia Tech was the place I wanted to go to.”
Davis helped right the ship at Tech. The Yellow Jackets won just eight combined games in the three years before his arrival. He was named a freshman All-American, and also landed on All-American lists as a junior and senior. His career included three All-ACC selections.
Davis was dubbed “The Refrigerator Mover” by AJC sportswriter Dave Kindred after the Jackets downed Clemson (28-21) and William “The Refrigerator” Perry in 1984. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1991.
“Even though in my freshman year we didn’t have the greatest record, you could see it was starting to build from there,” Davis said. “Those were special times, and I talk to those guys as much as I can. The ’83 (recruiting) class did feel like we were close to doing something special.”
Davis was drafted by Houston in 1987 and played two seasons with the Oilers. His final six seasons in the NFL were spent in Buffalo where he was a member of four consecutive Super Bowl teams.
He started for the Bills in Super Bowls XXV and XXVIII. Over the course of his professional career, Davis played in 120 NFL games and was a starter in 65.
Toward the end of Davis’ playing days, his No. 72 was retired by GHS in May 1993. He was inducted into the Gilmer Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Davis said injuries and surgeries from playing the game he loved eventually took their toll on his body. He noted they “knocked him out of the workforce” recently and he is on disability. He resides in East Cobb with wife Hester and daughter Julia.
“For me, football is the ultimate team sport,” he said. “My boys, I told them, ‘You’re going to play, then once you get to a certain point, if you don’t want to play anymore, I’m good with that.’ I wanted them to have that experience of playing on a team. Once they saw how special it was and the bonds and friendships they made, they played all the way up until (Harrison) went to The Citadel and (John Henry) went to Concordia University (Chicago).
“Buffalo was special because 26 of us went to all four Super Bowls. There is always going to be that bond that keeps us together. I played with 11 hall of fame players, a hall of fame coach, GM and owner. I talk to them as much as I can and am going to see a lot of them in a couple months. Even though I’m only 57, I’m getting to where those memories are a lot more special.”
Davis is set for induction into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame Oct. 21. The ceremony will be at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Davis has started a blog to chronicle his football past, which can be found at TheRefrigeratorMover.com.