Davis played college football at the University of Colorado, where was part of a team that won the 1976 Big 8 Championship.
Davis is best known for making a key interception at the end of the 1980 AFC Conference playoff game with the Cleveland Browns, in a play known as Red Right 88.
[3] Davis recovered his footing and found his coverage assignment, Ozzie Newsome, whom teammate Burgess Owen had been covering.
[3] Newsome said that Owens forced him to run deeper into the end zone than intended, allowing Davis to cut in front of him and intercept Brian Sipe's pass.
[3] Davis missed most of the 1981 season when the Vikings' Sammy White roll-blocked him, tearing an ankle ligament and breaking his leg.
[4][5] Davis' superb play was often overlooked by fans and reporters because he rarely made interceptions (partly because the Raiders didn't often need him to help their star cornerbacks, partly because he wasn't a good pass-catcher and dropped a number of potential picks during his career) and because advanced statistics that would have shown what a truly great safety he was did not exist when he played.
Davis said the Raiders defensive philosophy didn't lend itself to strong safeties intercepting a lot of passes but claimed he was a Pro Bowl caliber player.
[8]Davis received permanent disability monthly payments because of his hearing loss and lower back pain but said he lived comfortably because of a $8.5 million guaranteed contract with the Raiders and investments.