(Over the course of the summer we will be unveiling the 50 Greatest Badgers of All-Time every Monday – Friday)
No. 46 — Don Davey, Football
The name of Don Davey may escape those of the current generation of students at the University of Wisconsin, but one could make the argument that his name and legacy should be one everyone speaks about.
After all, Davey is the embodiment of what a student-athlete was (and still can be) all about. He is the only four-time academic All-American in NCAA history and also managed to be a team captain and MVP on the field as well. In addition, Davey was named first-team All-Big Ten at defensive tackle during his senior season at UW.
He finished his UW career with 267 tackles, 49 tackles for loss and 22.0 sacks. Davey was as near to an instant star on the defensive side of the ball as possible. Here is a look at his career stats:
1987 – 36 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks
1988 – 59 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks
1989 – 50 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks
1990 – 122 tackles, 24.0 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks
Davey currently sits fifth in the Badgers record books for career tackles for loss, third in tackles for loss yardage and tied for seventh in career sacks. His 24 tackles for loss in 1990 put him tied for third all-time in a single season at UW.
It wasn’t just the numbers or the GPA that made Davey special, it was also his ability to be a face for the program through the tough Don Morton years and the start of the Barry Alvarez era.
Following his days at UW, Davey was a third round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers and split his career between the Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He made 131 tackles and had 8.0 sacks during his eight-year NFL career.
Davey still isn’t done competing either…as he has competed in an Ironman CEO Challenge recently and has completed 6 Ironman triathlons according to his Twitter account. He also continues to call Wisconsin home…so On Wisconsin indeed!
Full 50 Greatest Badgers List:
No. 50 – Randy Jablonic
No. 49 – Alex Rigsby
No. 48 — Michael Lihrman
No. 47 — Howard “Cub” Buck
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