Super Bowl LIII champion Keionta Davis vividly remembers a mentor and friend who helped push him to strive to be the best he could be.
While reaching the highest pinnacle for a professional athlete, the New England Patriots’ third-year defensive lineman has been reminded often of the bond formed with his head coach at Red Bank High School.
“If it wasn’t for Coach (Tim) Daniels, I would not be where I am at today,” Davis said of his coach who died last year. “He led the way for me and laid everything out and made it easy. He believed in me to do greater things. I think about him all the time. Every time I get ready for a game I think of him. I know if he was out there in the stands or watching me, he would want me to go all out every snap and in practice, too.”
One of the top defensive players in University of Tennessee at Chattanooga history – he totaled 43 tackles for loss and 31 sacks – Davis remembers that Daniels convinced him to get back to playing football after not playing at all as a 10th-grader. A playoff moment on the road against Maplewood also sticks out.
“It was the start of the fourth quarter, and Coach D came to me and really fired me up to go make a play,” Davis said. “I would run through a wall for that man. He really has given me a spark throughout my entire career. The next play I got a safety. Even after my high school career we kept in contact. I have so much appreciation for that man and who he was.”