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Willie D. Davis was born on July 24, 1934 in Lisbon, Louisiana and passed away on April 15, 2020 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 86. Davis had the rare distinction of being respected as both an iconic entrepreneur and an athlete. .
Willie D. Davis was born on July 24, 1934 in Lisbon, Louisiana and passed away on April 15, 2020 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 86. Davis had the rare distinction of being respected as both an iconic entrepreneur and an athlete. .
When Willie was eight years old, his father left the family, leaving his mother to raise three children on her own. Growing up in poverty, Willy was driven by his mother’s optimism to get a college education, get a good job, and become the best man he could be. Davis honored his mother by earning his degree while playing football at Grambling State University under legendary coach Eddie Robinson.
After being drafted at 181cent Selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1956 NFL Draft, Willie served two years in the U.S. Army. After he spent two seasons in Cleveland, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1960. There, Davis became a permanent defensive end under the guidance of Packers Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi.
Davis anchored the Packers’ defensive line for 10 years, appearing in 138 consecutive regular season games and part of 162 regular season games during his NFL career. He was a member of all five of Lombardi’s teams that won his NFL titles, including Super Bowls I and II.
While his career tackles and sack totals are not official statistics, some research analysts believe Davis’ 10-year sack total is probably higher despite the 12 regular season games versus the current 17 game era. It is estimated that there were over 120.
When Davis was playing in the NFL, few black players were given the opportunity to play professional football. Bill Curry, the iconic college football coach who was the starting center on the Packers’ first Super Bowl team, said NFL teams in the early 1960s averaged several black players per team, and Green Bay The Packers were an exception, saying they had 11 black players. , nine of whom were starters.
Curry is a white player from rural Georgia who had never huddled with a black player. He credits Willie Davis’ unexpected and unwarranted kindness and leadership with giving him the determination to not only play for the Green Bay Packers, but to become their starting center. He noted that Lombardi praised the team’s diversity and hated prejudice. As the team’s defensive captain, Willie Davis is credited with leading Lombardi to not treat anyone on the team any differently, regardless of race. Davis will offer to have meetings, lunches and dinners with players who have never played on integrated teams or eaten at the same table as African-Americans. He worked to ensure that all players acclimated to Lombardi’s inclusive culture, which most outside observers agreed was the basis of the team’s success.
Davis eventually became a six-time All-Pro football player and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981. He also had a Hall of Fame-worthy business career after taking several offseasons to earn a master’s degree in business. He received his degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1968.
In a 2017 article Investors Business Daily, Michael Mink said Davis had many successful ventures, including Willie Davis Distributing, the beer distribution company Davis founded in 1970 that featured Schlitz and other beer brands. Ta. In 1976, he founded All Pro Broadcasting, which owns numerous radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area. His beer distribution company and radio broadcasting company were both struggling when he bought them out and changed their names. But he turned each situation around with the help of dedicated employees and the principles he learned as a student of Vince Lombardi and leader of the Green Bay Packers.
Willie Davis’ successful business career lasted nearly 50 years and brought him acclaim and financial rewards as an entrepreneur and business advisor. Recognized for his business acumen, he has worked with Marquette University, Alliance Bank, American Express, Johnson Controls, Kmart, LA Gear, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM Mirage, Sara Lee, Schlitz Brewing, The – Served as a director of the Dow Chemical Company. , to name a few examples.
said William S. Stavropoulos, former Dow Chemical president, CEO, and chairman of the board. Willie Davis was a great guy and a great board member.
“He was a true asset to the Dow Chemical Company,” Stavropoulos said.
Current Dow Chairman and CEO, James R. Fitterling He said it was a pleasure to spend time with Willie, hear his story and host him along with other Dow employees.
“Willie was a wonderful human being and the things he learned through his football experiences and friendships were the foundation for his success in life.”” added Mr Fitterling.
In his book Bridging the Gap: Lombardi, the Green Bay Packers Dynasty, and the Pursuit of Excellence, Davis writes: Focusing on good habits is something he learned from Coach Lombardi and preached to himself over the years as a business leader.
“You can fool yourself into thinking that just having a clear goal in mind will keep you on track, but that’s not the case,” he continued. “We must develop good habits to stay on that path. Good habits include personal responsibility, accountability, self-discipline, commitment, focus, and hard work. There’s nothing new or revolutionary about it. We all know what these good habits lead to.”
Willie Davis wasn’t going to make it to the NFL or become a world-class business leader. His path was especially difficult as he grew up in poverty as a black man before the enactment of civil rights laws and was not given the guidance of his father from an early age. The influence of his mother and coaches like Eddie Robinson and Vince Lombardi helped him achieve his ambitions through hard work, education, and leading people based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I did. Willie Davis is a human being worthy of all respect and a role model for every man, woman, and child on God’s green earth.
About the author
Dr. Timothy G. Nash is Vice President Emeritus. He is the director of the McNair Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. McNair Endowed Chair in Free Market Economics at Northwood University.
Jeff Curtis was named athletic director at Northwood University in the summer of 2021. Prior to this position, Curtis served on the staff at Northwood University for 21 years, the last 17 of which were as the head coach of the women’s basketball program.
Editor’s note: This article is a variation of an article published by Town Hall and the Midland Daily News earlier this month and was published in the magazine’s February 2024 issue. when you have free choiceNorthwood University’s monthly signature publication dedicated to promoting free enterprise.
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