Tony Davis obit

1970's Husker Football Legend Passes Away

 He was not on the list.

 

Former Nebraska Running Back Tony Davis died on Sunday.

The 73-year -old Tecumseh native had complications from Parkinson's Disease.

"Tough Tony" Davis starred in the very beginning of the Tom Osborne head coaching era, beginning with an electric performance in 1973 in a rain-soaked Nebraska Memorial Stadium against UCLA, Osborne's first game as head coach and first victory, with an ABC-TV audience watching along with the usual sellout crowd.

On a touchdown that day, Davis cemented his place in Big Red lore by punctuating the score into the north end zone by punching the chain-link fence just beyond the endline.

Davis would star in a Cotton Bowl victory over Texas after that season, and the next year in a New Years Eve Sugar Bowl win over Florida. He was MVP in those games.

He is in the Halls of Fame for both of those college bowl games, as well as the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame, and also played pro football.

Tony Davis, a former star running back at Nebraska who played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has died.

He was 73.

Davis died from complications from Parkinson’s Disease, according to multiple reports.

“Tough Tony” was a standout for the Cornhuskers in the early 1970s. He was the first 1,000-yard rusher for legendary coach Tom Osborne.

Davis was the MVP of Nebraska’s Cotton Bowl win over Texas as a sophomore in 1973. He repeated as the MVP of the Sugar Bowl in a win over the Florida Gators the next season.

Davis was a second-team All-Big Eight pick in 1975, and he was named to the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. He was named to the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2025.

Following his time at Nebraska, Davis was selected in the fourth-round, 106th-overall, by the Bengals in 1976. He played for the team through the 1978 season and then joined Tampa Bay in 1979. He was with the Buccaneers through the 1981 season.

Davis also played a season with the USFL’s Boston Breakers in 1983.

He finished his NFL career with 91 carries for 345 yards and 27 catches and 250 yards. He also scored six touchdowns.

He was also known as the “Tecumseh Tornado” after rushing for more than 5,000 yards at Tecumseh High School where he earned All-American honors in 1969 and 1970.

Career history

Cincinnati Bengals (1976–1978)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1979–1981)

Boston Breakers (1983)

Awards and highlights

Second-team All-Big Eight (1975)

Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame, 1989

Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, 2025