[h=2]Davis graduates from UNLV[/h] Posted May 13, 2012
By Matt Florjancic, Staff Writer
[h=3]Ten years after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns, former linebacker Andra Davis graduated from college.[/h]
Andra Davis is not one to leave a task unfinished.
After establishing himself in the National Football League, the former Cleveland Browns linebacker decided to go back to college and finish his degree. Davis, a fifth-round pick of the Browns in the 2002 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida, finished up the requirements for a degree in the social sciences and liberal arts at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) and walked across the stage of the Thomas and Mack Center to receive his diploma.
“It’s a blessing; it’s definitely a blessing,” Davis said via telephone from Las Vegas. “I wouldn’t trade my path for anything. I wish I would’ve finished at Florida when I was in school, but the path I ended up taking made me a better man, made me a better person. I’m just thankful, so thankful that I had a lot of support from a lot of coaches, my wife, my parents and a lot of people continued to remind me that I needed to go back and finish.”
Davis played for the Browns from 2002 to 2008 before signing with the Denver Broncos and spent the last two seasons with the Buffalo Bills. In his career with the Browns, Davis never played in less than 11 games and started every one in which he played from 2003-2006.
Davis had three 100-tackle seasons in the orange and brown, including 2003 (136 stops), 2005 (149) and 2006 (104).
“In Cleveland, my whole focus was just football; I wasn’t really thinking about anything else,” Davis said. “I just wanted to be the best player I could be and try to do my best to help the organization achieve its goal, which was to win. I thank God for all of the wonderful people I met in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns will forever be special in my heart. I had two beautiful kids born there. It’s been wonderful, it’s been great.”
By going back to school at UNLV on the suggestion of former Browns coach, Andre Patterson, Davis carried on a family tradition of success in the classroom. His mother and father both have degrees from Shaw University in North Carolina and his wife earned her degree in 2011.
Davis’ wife, Monique, had to put school on hold when she got pregnant while they were together at Florida. Now, Davis feels he and his wife can set an example for their three daughters, Alisha, 11, Amber, 8, and Andrea, 5.
“It was all up to me,” Davis said, “because we have three daughters and that would’ve been hard for us to continue to tell them that you need to do this, do that; you need to finish school; you need to finish college; you need to graduate from college when I didn’t or neither one of us had our degree. Knowing that both parents have their degree in our household, they won’t have any excuses. It’s proven and we’re going to continue to make sure we put them in the best position to succeed in life.”
Although he plans on playing again in 2012, Davis is hoping his degree will lead to a post-football career.
“Honestly, I just want to be in a situation where I’m able to help kids,” Davis said. “I would love to have a player development-type role, help players throughout their careers like our man out in Cleveland at the time, Jerry Butler. He was so instrumental in my career. Just to be able to go in the office and talk to him about anything, it was just wonderful. I would love to be able to give back to players in that regard.”
Davis has played in 143 NFL games and registered 786 total tackles during that time. He has made 539 solo tackles, collected 12 sacks, intercepted nine passes and forced five fumbles, but all of those plays do not mean as much to Davis as something he gets to see when he goes home after a long day of work.
“Definitely the smile on my kid’s face,” Davis said of the best reward he has gotten by graduating. “There’s no comparison to it at all because people will forget about you sacking that quarterback, but people won’t forget and can be reminded that you have your degree.”
Sorry BR couldn't help myself
