Mouse Davis

Last updated
Mouse Davis
Biographical details
Born (1932-09-06) September 6, 1932 (age 91)
Palouse, Washington, U.S.
Playing career
1951–1954 Oregon College
Position(s) Quarterback, halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1975–1980 Portland State
1981 California (OC)
1982 Toronto Argonauts (OC)
1984 Houston Gamblers (OC)
1985 Denver Gold
1988–1990 Detroit Lions (OC)
1991–1992 New York/New Jersey Knights
1993 Toronto Argonauts (OC)
1994–1995 Atlanta Falcons (QB)
2001–2002 Detroit Fury
2003 San Diego Riptide
2004–2006 Hawaii (ST/RB)
2007–2008 Portland State (OC)
2009–2010 Hawaii (WR)
Head coaching record
Overall42–24 (college)
79–29 (high school)
11–8 (USFL)
11–10 (WLAF)
8–20 (AFL)
6–10 (AF2)

Darrel "Mouse" Davis (born September 6, 1932) is a retired American football coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he last coached with Jerry Glanville at Portland State and with June Jones at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University from 1975 to 1980, compiling a record of 42–24. He has also been a head coach with the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (1985), the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League of American Football (1991–1992), and the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League (2001–2002) and the San Diego Riptide (2003) of AF2. A native of Washington, Davis grew up in Oregon, where he started his coaching career as a high school football coach. Davis is now widely regarded as the 'godfather' of the run and shoot offense.

Contents

Early life

Davis was born in Eastern Washington in Palouse on September 6, 1932. His family later moved to neighboring Oregon and Davis lists Independence, Oregon, as his hometown. Mouse gained his nickname from older brother Don while a freshman shortstop on the Central High School team in neighboring Monmouth, Oregon. Despite his 4'11.5" (1.58 m) stature at the time, Mouse already excelled at sports. In 1955, he graduated from the Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University) in neighboring Monmouth. There he played quarterback and halfback on three straight championship teams from 1952–54 under Coach Bill McArthur. Davis also played basketball and baseball at the college.

Coaching

Davis helped make the run and shoot offense famous as a coach, revolutionizing football in the 1960s and 1970s. [1] In developing his run and shoot offense, Davis espoused the theories of Glenn "Tiger" Ellison, football coach at Middletown High School in Ohio, who wrote the book Run & Shoot Football: Offense of the Future. [1] Davis utilized the offense in a coaching career that included 15 years at the high school level in Oregon, at the college level, and professionally in the NFL, CFL, USFL, WLAF, and Arena League. [1]

High school

Davis spent 15 seasons coaching high school football in Oregon, culminating in a 1973 state championship at Hillsboro High School. [2] [3] That team went 11–1 and set school marks in seven team season offensive categories and 15 records overall. [2] Davis also was head coach at Sunset and Milwaukie high schools in Oregon, building a combined 79–29 record among those three schools.[ citation needed ]

College

Davis then moved on to take the head coaching position at Portland State University, where he coached from 1975 to 1980. He led the PSU football program to a 42–24 record over six seasons, averaging 38 points and nearly 500 yards of offense per game. PSU led the nation in scoring three times. [1] The unique passing game made stars out of Davis' two main quarterbacks, June Jones and Neil Lomax. In 1975, Jones, former Southern Methodist University and University of Hawaiʻi head coach, threw for a Division II record 3,518 yards. Davis' next quarterback, Lomax, set NCAA records of 13,220 yards and 106 touchdowns in 42 games. Under Davis' direction, Portland State set 20 NCAA Division II offensive records [1] in addition to the Vikings being named the NCAA's all-time point producers in 1980, scoring 541 points in 11 games for 49.2 points per game, along with 434.9 yards passing and 504.3 yards of total offense per game.[ citation needed ]

Davis left Portland State to serve as offensive coordinator at UC Berkeley for the 1981 season. After Cal began the year with a 1–6 record, Davis resigned upon being told that head coach Roger Theder intended to make changes to the offensive scheme. [4]

For the 2004–2006 seasons, Davis served as an assistant coach for Jones at Hawaiʻi. The Warriors employed the run and shoot offense and averaged 559.2 yards of total offense, 46.9 points and produced a 10–3 record in 2006. Hawaiʻi led the nation in passing offense (441.3), total offense, scoring offense and pass efficiency (185.95).[ citation needed ] Then in February 2007, he returned to Portland State to serve as offensive coordinator for new PSU head coach Jerry Glanville's staff. He retired at the age of 76 on June 1, 2009, [1] but later returned to the University of Hawaiʻi as an assistant coach on June 25, 2010. [5]

Davis was an inaugural member of the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1997.

Professional

Davis has been head coach of the now-defunct USFL's Denver Gold, the WLAF's New York/New Jersey Knights, and the Arena Football League's Detroit Fury and the af2's San Diego Riptide. He was also an assistant coach with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions and with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

In 1982, Davis joined the Toronto Argonauts as offensive coordinator and turned the team into a contender instantly with his pass-happy club. Led by his tandem of QBs Condredge Holloway (Tennessee) and Joe Barnes (Texas Tech). They finished the regular season with a record of (9–6–1) Davis' Argos lost in the 70th Grey Cup in 1982 to the Warren Moon-led Edmonton Eskimos to the score of 32–16.

Davis left the Argonauts prior to the 1983 season, however the team, using the offense he had installed, finished the regular season with a commanding (12–4) record and did win the 71st Grey Cup that year over the British Columbia Lions to the score of 18–17. It was their first championship in 31 years.

In 1984, Davis headed back to the US to take the offensive coordinator job with the USFL expansion Houston Gamblers. His quarterback was a rookie from the University of Miami named Jim Kelly. The "Mouseketeers" offensive unit lit up the USFL in their first year of existence passing for 5,793 yards and 45 passing touchdowns - ending their expansion season with a (13–5) record. The Gamblers' offense became the first team in pro football history to have two receivers with over 100 receptions in a single season: Richard Johnson with 115 and Ricky Sanders with 101.

In 1985, Davis took his first head coaching job at the professional level when he took the reins of the Denver Gold, bringing his run-and-shoot offense to the Mile High City. He once again had a tandem of QBs in Vince Evans and Bob Gagliano. The Gold finished the season with its first playoff berth with an (11–7) mark but lost in the first round to the Memphis Showboats.

Davis was slated to become head coach of the St. Louis Lightning of the World Indoor Football League in 1988, but the league dissolved before the season began.

1991 Davis took the head coaching job of the New York/New Jersey Knights of the WLAF. The 1991 season had Davis and the Knights go (5–5) and won the North American East Division. But they bowed out of the playoffs semifinal to the eventual champion London Monarchs. The following year saw their record improve to (6–4) and second place in the division but missed qualifying for the playoffs.

In 1993, he again joined the Toronto Argonauts as an assistant coach but the team had a disastrous season finishing 3–15 as it was an offense ill-suited to Tracy Ham's talents and Ham did not have the best weapons around him.

Head coaching record

College

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Portland State Vikings (NCAA Division II independent)(1975–1977)
1975 Portland State8–3
1976 Portland State8–3
1977 Portland State7–4
Portland State:23–10
Portland State Vikings (NCAA Division I-AA independent)(1978–1980)
1978 Portland State5–6
1979 Portland State 6–5
1980 Portland State 8–3
Portland State:19–14
Total:42–24

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Kelly</span> American football player (born 1960)

James Edward Kelly is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). Kelly played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning offensive MVP honors in the 1981 Peach Bowl.

The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played their home games at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado; and were co-tenants in the spring with the Triple-A Denver Zephyrs baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Riley (American football)</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1953)

Michael Joseph Riley is an American football coach who was most recently the head coach of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He has previously served as the head coach of two college football programs: Oregon State and Nebraska (2015–2017). Riley has also been the head coach of teams in four different professional leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), World League of American Football (WLAF), National Football League (NFL), and Alliance of American Football (AAF). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Jones</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

June Sheldon Jones III is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1999 to 2007 and was the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2008 to 2014, before resigning on September 8, 2014. Previously, he coached in the National Football League (NFL): a three-year tenure as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994 to 1996 and a ten-game stint as interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998; he also spent 1+1⁄2 seasons as head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Jones was also formerly the General Manager and Head Coach of the Houston Roughnecks.

Neil Vincent Lomax is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), playing his entire career for the St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals. He played college football for the Portland State Vikings, setting numerous National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) passing records running head coach Mouse Davis's run and shoot offense. Lomax was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing former Middletown (Ohio) High School football coach Glenn "Tiger" Ellison's Run & Shoot offense to the world of pro football.

Chris Palmer is an American former football coach and college athletics administrator. Palmer served as the head coach for Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1999 to 2000 and in the same capacity with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL) in 2010. He was the head football coach at the University of New Haven from 1986 to 1987 and at Boston University from 1988 to 1989. Palmer has also served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. He later returned to the University of New Haven and served as the athletic director from 2018 to 2019.

John Jenkins is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach the University of Houston from 1990 to 1992, compiling a record of 18–15. A proponent of the run and shoot offense, Jenkins also coached professional football in the United States Football League (USFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL). He served as the head coach of the CFL's Ottawa Renegades in 2006, the FXFL's Blacktips in 2014 and the Hudson Valley Fort for part of 2015. During his career as a coach, Jenkins has mentored a number of notable quarterbacks such as Andre Ware, David Klingler, Jim Kelly, Eric Crouch, Kliff Kingsbury, Anthony Calvillo and Doug Flutie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Archer (quarterback)</span> American football player (born 1962)

David Mark Archer is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones. Undrafted in the 1984 NFL Draft, he played in the NFL from 1984 to 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spread offense</span> Offensive scheme in American and Canadian football

The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizontally using three-, four-, and even five-receiver sets. Used at every level of the game including professional, college, and high school programs across the US and Canada, spread offenses often employ a no-huddle approach. Some implementations of the spread also feature wide splits between the offensive linemen.

Daniel Edward Langsdorf is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator for the Temple Owls. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Oregon State Beavers and for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as well formerly the quarterbacks coach for the University of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland State Vikings</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Portland State University

Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. The Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field, and cross country. The university has been a member of the Big Sky Conference since 1996. Along with the other Big Sky football programs, Viking football takes-part in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as NCAA Division I-AA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Trestman</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1956)

Marc Marlyn Trestman is a Canadian football and American football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. He was also named CFL Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2017.

Bart Andrus is an American football coach and a former collegiate player. He has served as head coach for the Amsterdam Admirals of the NFL Europe League (NFLEL) from 2001 to 2007, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2009, and the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL) in 2012 compiling a career record of 40 wins and 54 losses. Andrus also was the head football coach at Rocky Mountain College in 1996, posting a mark of 6–4. He also served as head coach of the Generals of The Spring League and the Philadelphia Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Walton (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1947)

John Booker Walton is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback in the Continental Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), National Football League (NFL), and United States Football League (USFL). Walton played college football at Elizabeth City State University. He served two stints at the head football coach at Elizabeth City State, from 1980 to 1982 and 1989 to 1990, compiling a record of 25–24–2.

David P. Stief was American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. Born in Portland, Oregon, he played college football at Portland State University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1978 NFL Draft.

John Morgan Garrett is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He is the former head football coach at Lafayette College, a position he assumed December 21, 2016 after spending one season as the offensive coordinator for the University of Richmond. He was also a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals and in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the San Antonio Riders. He played college football at Columbia University and Princeton University.

The run and shoot offense is an offensive system for American football which emphasizes receiver motion and on-the-fly adjustments of receivers' routes in response to different defenses. It was conceived by former high school coach Glenn "Tiger" Ellison and refined and popularized by former Portland State offensive coordinator Mouse Davis.

Michael Christianson is an American football college and professional coach. Christianson most recently served as the assistant running backs coach and the Director of Technology for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) in 2011 thru 2013 which featured a Super Bowl appearance against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII (47). Prior to his tenure with the 49ers, Christianson also served on University of Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's staff at the University of San Diego (USD) where the Toreros of the Pioneer Football League won a Division I-AA Mid-Major National title in 2006. He has worked as a football coach at several other National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions, including The University of Nebraska, Montana State University and Portland State University. Christianson coached the offensive line in 2002-2003 as a member of Jon Gruden's staff and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII (37). Christianson played tight-end and offensive lineman at Western Oregon University.

The 1980 Portland State Vikings football team was an American football team that represented Portland State University as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In its sixth and final season under head coach Mouse Davis, the team compiled an 8–3 record and outscored opponents by a total of 550 to 209. The team utilized the run and shoot offense popularized by Davis and gained national acclaim for its high-scoring offensive output, including single-game tallies of 105 and 93 points. On the field, the team was led by senior quarterback Neil Lomax. During the 1980 season, Lomax tallied 4,094 passing yards and became the all-time leader in college football history with a career total of 13,200 passing yards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schlabach, Mark (July 20, 2009). "Spread concepts around for decades". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  2. 1 2 McKinney, Dick (October 19, 1976). "Recreation and Leisure: Hillsboro offense produces '73 AAA grid title". Hillsboro Argus. p. 5.
  3. ↑ Moore, Kenny (November 12, 1979). "Of Mouse And His Men". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ "'Mouse' Davis resigns Cal post". news.google.com. Ellensburg Daily Record. October 28, 1981. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mouse back in business in Hawaii - Hawaii Sports - Honolulu Star-Advertiser". Staradvertiser.com. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.