Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1987)
‘Tough Tony’ still earns nickname Andrea Hoy/First Down Davis By Steve Sipple First Down Reporter Nebraska freshman defensive line coach Tony Davis says he coaches his players just as “tough” as he used to run as a fullback from 1971 to 1975. Davis earned the nickname “Tough Tony” during Ins playing days at Nebraska because of the punishment he inflicted on several defenders. He rushed for 2,495 yards during his career, including 1,008 as a so phomore. Davis, who is now in his first season as a Huskcr coach, is instilling that same lough ness in the defensive players he coaches. “He’s still that type of person,” Nebraska Ircshman coach Shane Thorell said. “For defensive linemen, that’s die type of player they need to be. There in the trenches, it’s pretty physical. Tony lets them know v> hat it takes to gel the job done and and lets them know when they don't get their job done.” T'X_' ..._1 Davis agreed. “It might be that I'm lough,” Davis said. “I loll my players two things: No. I, they'd better hit, and No. 2, they’d belter hustle. II they don t give me hustle and they don't hit, they won't play. “They know il they don’t meet my expec tations, they’ll meet my wrath,” he said. “But I love them. They're my own.” Though Davis makes his players work. 1 horell said, he keeps a good rapport with them. “II you don’t know him, you might think he's hard on them." he said. “But (the play ers) like him. He jokes around a lot with them.” Da\is, who was named most valuable player in the 1974 Colton Bow land the 1975 Sugar Bowl, said that coaching defensive players after being involved w uh offense for 22 years isn’t difficult because of his attitude toward football. “My attitude is kind of a defensive atti tude to start w ith, he said. “1 wasn't a big, fast gu\, but 1 liked hitting. 1 want my kids to play like that. It's kind of natural for me to coach defense, really.” Davis said he plans tocoach the Nebraska freshmen this season and next, and then get a major college coaching job “as soon as possible. He said being able to put Ne braska on a resume w ill help. “What do you think?” Davis asked. “If you ha\e on \our resume that you coached at Nebraska, that's about as good as you get.” Da\ is was a fourth-round draft choice of the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals in I97f> and earned team mvp hon ors the following >ear. He played for the I am pa Ba> Buccaneers from 1979 to 1982, and then l unshed Ins professional football See DAVIS on Pacie 13