Davis was a consensus All-American in 1974, and led the USC Trojans in rushing, scoring and kick return yardage for three consecutive seasons.
On November 30, 1974, he started an amazing rally which brought the Trojans back from a 24–0 second quarter deficit against #4 ranked Notre Dame to a 55–24 win.
From 1972 to 1974, with Davis as the tailback the Trojans compiled a 31–3–2 (.889) record, three conference titles, two Rose Bowl victories in three appearances and two national championships.
[1] Playing with wood bats at the time, Davis hit .273 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 13 stolen bases for the Trojans' 1974 team.
[4][5][6] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in late 2005 in New York City, and enshrined on August 12, 2006, in South Bend, Indiana.
The Minnesota Twins selected him in the fourth round of the 1975 January amateur entry draft (83rd overall pick) for Major League Baseball (MLB); however he rejected them, thinking they would be unable to meet his salary demands.
At the time, the Jets had veteran quarterback Joe Namath and offered a major stage, but the team's management were not willing to give in to his contract demands.
[1] In 1975, Davis opted to play for the Southern California Sun of the upstart World Football League (WFL); he signed a five-year, $1.7-million deal that reportedly included a $200,000 cash bonus and a Rolls-Royce.
His time with the Toronto Argonauts was not happy; his star ego clashed with CFL legend and Argos' head coach Russ Jackson's idea of a team player as a receiver.
When Reed returned to the bench, assistant coach Joe Moss told him never to throw the ball to Davis again; he had one carry and called himself the most expensive passing decoy in football.
Tampa Bay had lost all fourteen games in 1976, and injuries to the Bucs' top two quarterbacks in the preseason put extra pressure on the offense.
In the spring of 1983 at age thirty, over four years after he last played with the Rams, Davis had a short stint with the Los Angeles Express of the new USFL, rushing twelve times for 32 yards.
Following his football career, Davis found initial success as a real estate developer in the 1980s and early 1990s, while also occasionally acting in minor film and television roles.