Davis, Glenn W.
Football
b. Dec. 25, 1925, Claremont, CA
d. March 9, 2005
Called by the Los Angeles Times "the best athlete ever developed in southern California," Davis won thirteen letters in four sports in high school before entering the U. S. Military Academy in 1943. As a freshman fullback, he gained 1,028 yards in 144 attempts.
"Doc" Blanchard joined the team in 1944 and became the starting fullback, with Davis moving to halfback. Nicknamed the "Touchdown Twins," they were probably the greatest pair of running backs ever to play together on the same college team. Davis, "Mr. Outside," had the speed and breakaway ability to run around the ends while Blanchard, "Mr. Inside," liked to run between the tackles.
Davis had most of his best games against arch-rival Navy. In 1944, he had a 52-yard touchdown run and a touchdown-saving interception in a 23-7 victory. He ran for touchdowns of 33 and 49 yards in the 1945 game, when Army won 32-13. And in the 1946 contest, he scored on a 40-yard run, caught a 30-yard pass, threw a 27-yard touchdown pass, and had 265 yards of total offense in a 21-18 win.
A three-time All-American, Davis won the Heisman Trophy and was named Associated Press athlete of the year in 1946. After three years in the Army, he joined the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1950. Davis teamed with quarterback Bob Waterfield on an 82-yard touchdown pass, a championship game record, when the Rams lost the title game to the Cleveland Browns, 30-28.
Although he never had a serious football injury, Davis ironically tore a knee ligament while filming a 1946 movie, "The Spirit of West Point." The injury recurred in 1951 and he retired after seeing little action that season.