Craig Davis
Encyclopedia
Craig “Buster” Davis is an American football
wide receiver
he is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers
in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Louisiana State
.
s leading his school to the 4A state championship game.
He was named an All-American by SuperPrep and ranked the No. 12 wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com
. The Orlando Sentinel
named Davis as a member of the All-Southern Team, he also made The Times-Picayune 's Top 25 Blue-Chip list and Shreveport Times ' Top 20.
in 2003. He was forced to compete for game time with an extremely talented Tigers receiving corp that helped lead LSU to a BCS National Championship
. He caught 7 passes for 63 yards, most of which came in LSU's 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech
.
In Davis' sophomore year the Tigers failed to repeat their success of 2003. In spite of this Davis emerged as the Tiger's receiving leader with 43 catches for 659 yards. He scored his first touchdown in the Tigers 24-7 win over Vanderbilt
.
Davis played in 11 of the Tigers games in 2005, starting
5. He ranked third on the team with 35 receptions
, for 559 yards and 2 touchdowns. The high point of his season came in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl
where he caught 5 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in a win over Miami
.
As a senior Davis doubled as a receiver and a punt returner
. He finished the year with 56 catches for 834 yards and four touchdowns. He finished his career with four catches for 50 yards in the Sugar Bowl
against Notre Dame
in his home of New Orleans.
30th overall at the end of the 1st round of the 2007 NFL Draft
.
On July 23, 2007, Davis agreed with the Chargers on a 5-year $11 million contract just before training camp.
If Davis played out the contract, it was worth $7.83 million with about $3.2 million in incentives.
He finished his rookie season playing in 14 games, with one start, making 20 receptions
for 188 yards and one touchdown
.
During his second season Davis only played in four games due to an injury. He finished the season with four receptions for 59 yards.
Davis was released by the Chargers on July 28, 2011.
on August 4, 2011. The Bills cut Davis on September 3, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
he is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Louisiana State
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
.
Early years
Davis was rated the number one wide receiver in Louisiana and a national blue chipper as a senior at O.P. Walker High School. In his final year he caught 82 passes for 1,171 yards and 16 touchdownTouchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s leading his school to the 4A state championship game.
He was named an All-American by SuperPrep and ranked the No. 12 wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
. The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
named Davis as a member of the All-Southern Team, he also made The Times-Picayune 's Top 25 Blue-Chip list and Shreveport Times ' Top 20.
College career
Davis enrolled in LSULouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in 2003. He was forced to compete for game time with an extremely talented Tigers receiving corp that helped lead LSU to a BCS National Championship
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. He caught 7 passes for 63 yards, most of which came in LSU's 49-10 victory over Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
.
In Davis' sophomore year the Tigers failed to repeat their success of 2003. In spite of this Davis emerged as the Tiger's receiving leader with 43 catches for 659 yards. He scored his first touchdown in the Tigers 24-7 win over Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
.
Davis played in 11 of the Tigers games in 2005, starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
5. He ranked third on the team with 35 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
, for 559 yards and 2 touchdowns. The high point of his season came in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl
Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
where he caught 5 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown in a win over Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
As a senior Davis doubled as a receiver and a punt returner
Punt returner
Punt returner is a position on special teams in American football.-Description:The role of a punt returner is to catch the ball after it is punted and to give his team good field position by returning it. Before catching the punted ball, the returner must assess the situation on the field while...
. He finished the year with 56 catches for 834 yards and four touchdowns. He finished his career with four catches for 50 yards in the Sugar Bowl
2007 Sugar Bowl
The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl...
against Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
in his home of New Orleans.
Receiving
| Year | Team | Rec | Yards | Average | Long | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | LSU Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name... |
7 | 63 | 9.0 | 17 | 0 |
| 2004 | LSU | 43 | 659 | 15.3 | 42 | 1 |
| 2005 | LSU | 35 | 559 | 16.0 | 51 | 2 |
| 2006 | LSU | 56 | 836 | 14.9 | 47 | 4 |
| College Totals | 141 | 2117 | 15.0 | 51 | 7 | |
San Diego Chargers
Davis was drafted by the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
30th overall at the end of the 1st round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
.
On July 23, 2007, Davis agreed with the Chargers on a 5-year $11 million contract just before training camp.
If Davis played out the contract, it was worth $7.83 million with about $3.2 million in incentives.
He finished his rookie season playing in 14 games, with one start, making 20 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 188 yards and one touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
.
During his second season Davis only played in four games due to an injury. He finished the season with four receptions for 59 yards.
Davis was released by the Chargers on July 28, 2011.
Buffalo Bills
Davis signed with the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 4, 2011. The Bills cut Davis on September 3, 2011.