Steelers OL Great Sam Davis Found Dead at 75

Steelers great Sam Davis passed away on Tuesday at the age of 75.

Davis was found dead at New Life Care Personal Home in McKeesport, where he was a resident, hours after being reported missing. He suffered from blindness and dementia after a fall in 1991.

The Steelers signed the 6-foot-1, 255-pound Davis in 1967 out of Allen University, a small, historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina. Davis was one of the many such players discovered by Steelers scout Bill Nunn. The native of Ocilla, Georgia quickly became a staple of the rebuilding Steelers offensive line.

Under Chuck Noll, Davis was elevated to the starting position at left guard in 1970, and was the team’s primary starter there through his retirement at the end of the 1979 season. Davis was the Steelers’ offensive captain, won four Super Bowl rings and was named to the Steelers’ 50th season all-time team in 1982.

After his retirement, Davis was involved in several business ventures. He had been living in personal care facilities since his accident in 1991.

In 2018, Davis’ children established the Sam & Tamara Davis Family Scholarship to benefit children in single-parent households and homes where a parent has a disability.

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