This is an installment of the occasional series of “Throwback Thursday” posts featuring photos from my archives.
Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards for the Denver Broncos as their featured running back during the 1998 season. He was name the NFL’s MVP and the Associated Press named him Offensive Player of the Year. With Davis in the backfield, the Broncos won their second consecutive league championship, a win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
The following year during the fourth game of the Broncos’ 1999 season, Davis tried to chase down a New York Jet who had intercepted a pass during a game at Mile High Stadium and collided with teammate Matt Lepsis trying to make the tackle. It was the last play of Davis’ season. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament of his right knee on the play. I shot a photo of Davis crumpled on the Broncos sideline, clutching his knee.
After playing in 65 games between 1995 and 1999, Davis would play in just 13 more games for the Broncos over the course of the next two seasons before injuries forced his retirement in 2001. A number of running backs have tried to fill TD’s shoes–Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, Ron Dayne, Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughts, Knowshon Moreno– but the team has yet to match the success of the Davis-era Broncos. Even with quarterback Peyton Manning under center.
Davis rushed for 7,607 yards and 60 touchdowns in his career with Denver. In 2007, Davis was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He was named a finalist for the NFL’s Hall of Fame in January 2015.
