CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Clemson defensive lineman David Davis passed away on Saturday, July 29. He was 53 years old.
Davis was a four-year letterman at Clemson across the 1988-91 seasons. He played on Clemson squads that accrued a 39-8-1 four-year record and earned two ACC titles. He appeared in 44 career games with one start, a 30-0 win against Illinois in the Hall of Fame Bowl to conclude the 1990 season.
A native of Eastover, S.C., Davis arrived at Clemson in 1987 from Lower Richland High School. He redshirted the 1987 football season while also competing as a heavyweight wrestler. In 1988, he recorded a sack against Virginia Tech in his first career game. As a senior, his 22 tackles, six tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 11 games in 1991 helped guide Clemson to an ACC championship and a first-place conference ranking in both total defense (263.2 yards per game) and rushing defense (53.4).
After a brief stint with the New York Giants, Davis worked in law enforcement and high school coaching in the Columbia area. He later returned to Clemson and earned his degree in parks, recreation and tourism management in 2016 at 47 years of age as part of Clemson’s Tiger Trust program.
Funeral arrangements for Davis are available on his memorial page via the Bostick-Tompkins Funeral Home.
