Running back Tony Davis, a 6-year NFL veteran, died at 73 (original) (raw)
Cause of Death Revealed for Former Bengals Running Back, 6-Year NFL Veteran
A former Buccaneers and Bengals running back who played six NFL seasons died at 73.
Published
Apr 07, 2026 at 03:58 PM EDT
updated
Apr 07, 2026 at 03:59 PM EDT
Tony Davis, whose six-year NFL career included stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, died on April 5. He was 73.
According to KFOR in Lincoln, Nebraska, Davis succumbed to complications from Parkinson's Disease.
Davis played 89 games for the Bengals (1976-78) and Buccaneers (1979-81), carrying 91 times for 345 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes out of the backfield for 250 yards and one touchdown.
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Davis saw time on special teams in Cincinnati and Tampa. He returned 42 punts for 357 yards, including a 70-yard return in 1977 with the Bengals. He also returned 21 kicks for 256 yards in his NFL career.
Before he was drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Bengals, Davis made a name for himself at the University of Nebraska.
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A native of Tecumseh, Nebraska, Davis rushed for 2,174 yards during his three seasons (1973-75) in Lincoln. Davis excelled as a sophomore, rushing for 1,114 yards for Coach Tom Osborne’s first Husker team.
In 1973, Davis rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Huskers' victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Last year, he was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
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Davis was the MVP of Nebraska’s 1974 Sugar Bowl win over Florida and was inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame in 2021. Davis is also a member of the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame (1989).
After one season with the Boston Breakers of the USFL in 1983, Davis retired as a player. He went back to Nebraska and worked as an assistant coach on Osborne's staff.
Later Davis relocated to Colorado, where he served for three years as the Rocky Mountain chapter president for the NFL Alumni Association. He also worked with the NFL Players Care Foundation to get aid to dozens NFL retired players and their families, and advocated on behalf of retired NFL players for more than a decade.
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