Though Terrell Davis is one of the most celebrated and loved Denver Broncos in franchise history, his memory weighs heavy in the hearts of Broncos Country. Despite all the joy that Davis brought to this franchise, his injury-shortened career will always leave us to wonder “what could have been.”
Even worse, that shortened career was costing him a spot in the Hall of Fame, where he belonged.
Some inductions into the Hall simply mean more, and while John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, and Gary Zimmerman might have been givens, Terrell Davis’ omission in Canton stung in Denver.
On Saturday, Davis and Broncos fans finally got justice. Davis joined LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Kurt Warner and Morten Andersen as the 2017 inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Broncos are one of the winningest franchises in the NFL, and the lack of blue and orange in Canton has always been a bit bothersome to the Orange & Blue faithful. With only four members in The Hall and only three from the 98-99 teams that won back-to-back championships despite being one of the greatest teams in the cap era (actually, only two players who won both rings were in the Hall as Zimmerman retired after Super Bowl XXXII) something’s off. But Davis’ absence, that was different. It was personal in Denver, and it sprung a debate on what the Hall of Fame should be, a debate of longevity versus impact.
Davis was arguably the best player on arguably the greatest Broncos teams of all time. An idol to an entire generation that grew up without the inferiority complex that Broncos fans of yesteryear felt in a championship-less existence. No. 30, more than any other player on those teams, is the reason for that inferiority complex disappearing and championship banners being raised.
As he ran through the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, to the tune of 157 yards and a record three touchdowns, Davis changed the franchise forever. The very next year, Davis became a national superstar similar to what Von Miller is now, appearing on Sesame Street, the Disney Channel, all over TV in commercials and was one of Nike’s premier sponsored athletes. In that season, he also cemented himself as a true NFL legend by breaking the 2,000-yard rushing mark and winning the league’s MVP in 1998.
Four years into his NFL career and Davis had already amassed 6,413 yards with 56 rushing touchdowns, going over the thousand yard mark every single season in his already legendary career. He remains third all-time per rushing yards per game. At that point, TD seemed destined for Canton as a first ballot type.
Davis’ talent and his immense achievements have never been in question, what held him back was a philosophical debate of whether someone who’s only had a career that extends to seven years was deserving. A trivial matter to people who lived through the “Davis years,” who time and time again had their hearts race with every long stride he took leading the Broncos to unprecedented team success.
Davis is finally in because Broncos fans, and all fans for that matter, should be able to go to the Hall of Fame and learn about the NFL’s greatest players of all time. Not simply be in a museum that’s a three-dimensional sports almanac. Davis is the reason we need a Hall, so that young historians and fans of the game can learn about great players who impacted the sport, even if you have to scroll down a bit on the career rushing yards list to find their names.
Though Terrell’s rings, records, and impact can never be taken away, this induction is big in legitimizing his career, the Broncos franchise, and those late 90’s teams. Davis is the NFL’s equivalent of a shooting star.
With or without his name in Hall, though, we’ll always be left to wonder what could have been if the Broncos star runner had stayed healthy. Nothing will ever change that. But this does ensure that Davis will never be forgotten, that those years will never fade away and that one of the greatest Broncos of all time is finally where he belongs, in Canton with his legacy cemented forever.
