The Las Vegas Raiders released some sad news to their fan base on Thursday, October 6, when they announced the passing of former running back Clarence Davis. However, the team quickly had to retract the announcement as Davis has not actually died. Las Vegas revealed that they received false information but it’s unclear exactly how they were fooled.
The team had to release a statement on the matter.
“The Raiders received notice of Clarence Davis’ passing but have found that information to be false,” the team said in the statement, via Pro Football Talk. “The Raiders extend our deepest apologies to the Davis family and the Raider Nation for the erroneous announcement.”
Davis’ camp hasn’t addressed the news publicly yet.
Davis Was a Super Bowl Champion With the Raiders
Davis was one of the first standout running backs to ever play for the Raiders. He came into the NFL after a run at USC. He was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft. He was a backup through his first three seasons before he started to earn some starting reps.
Davis eventually took over the starting running back job for the Raiders in 1974 and continued to start until he retired in 1978. His crowning achievement came when he helped lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings in 1976. He ran the ball 16 times for 137 yards in the game while also starting every game for the team that season. He was an integral part of the Raiders winning their first Super Bowl.
Davis only ever played with the Raiders throughout his eight-year career and is currently the ninth-leading rusher in franchise history with 3,640 yards. What the running back is likely best known for was his role in the legendary “Sea of Hands” playoff game against the Miami Dolphins in 1974. The Dolphins were back-to-back Super Bowl champions heading into the game and were the clear favorites to beat the Raiders. It looked as if they were going to until Ken Stabler tossed a pass up for Davis in the end zone that was contested by two Miami defenders. Despite all of the defenders around, Davis wrestled the ball away and caught the game-winning score. He was known as one of the worst pass catchers on the team and was nicknamed “hands of wood” before the game. It’s only fitting that he would have arguably the most iconic catch in Raiders history.
Later today, the Sea Of Hands
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Josh Jacobs Close to Passing Davis on All-Time List
Davis is currently the ninth leader rusher in Raiders history but that won’t last for long. Current running back Josh Jacobs is just 218 yards away from passing him on the list. Jacobs is coming off a game where he rushed for 144 yards so he’ll likely pass Davis sooner rather than later.
Jacobs needs 972 yards this season to get into the top-five all-time leading rushers for the Raiders. If he keeps playing as well as he has been this season, it’s possible he reaches the feat. It will likely be his last chance as Las Vegas might not be bringing him back next season. If the Raiders bring him back on another contract after the season, he could easily finish his career with the team as one of the top-two rushers in team history.
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Raiders Mistakenly Announced Death of Former Player & Super Bowl Champ