Brothers team up as Tiger-Cats
The vision began, formally, when the older brother was eight and the younger just six.
Terrell Davis, who turned 24 earlier this year, and Marcus Davis, who’ll be 22 in August, are both with the Hamilton TigerCats, at least during training camp.
Receiver Marcus, who was taken 31st overall in May’s CFL draft, isn’t in uniform, unfortunately, because of a torn ACL which will keep him out of game action until August or September. So he’ll be heading back for a final season at UBC. Terrell, in his third CFL season, is an integral part of the Tiger-Cats as a specialteams player and backup linebacker.
“We’ve been playing sports together since we starting playing at all,” says Terrell. “And we always talked about playing professional sport together. So obviously this is a dream come true. I couldn’t be happier for Marcus, for our whole family, really. They don’t have to cheer against one or the other.
“It’s great having Marcus out here. He’s a few months away from being 100 per cent but he’s out here learning things from guys like (Luke) Tasker and (Jeremiah) Masoli. He’s getting a jump on it, that’s for sure.”
The last pair of brothers with the Ticats were mainstay receiver Marquay McDaniel and his younger brother Damon, who was in training camp in 2010. But Damon was plagued by injuries and he never played a regularseason game for Hamilton.
The Ticats, who are clearly committed to developing a deep core of Canadian receivers, are keeping Marcus Davis here for the entire training camp so, when he does return next season, he’ll be familiar with the pro world, June Jones’ nomenclature and the multiplicity of expectations for Ticat receivers.
“I’m really excited to be out here, to learn from the veterans and just soak up everything I can. Now that I’m having that opportunity, I’ll have a head start next year.”
The natives of Saanich (a suburb of Victoria, B.C.) spent their early football years as running backs, starting with the local Wolverines minor program.
They played, two years apart, at football power Mount Douglas, a school which also produced such luminaries as singer Nelly Furtado, hockey player Russ Courtnall and filmmaker Atom Egoyan.
Each was named the BC AAA player of the year during his high school career. After Terrell spent two years at Arizona State, they were together at UBC in 2014 and often were used in a two-back set, “with Terrell as the power guy up the middle and I’d be the speed option guy,” Marcus said.
When legendary coach Blake Nill arrived at UBC in 2015, he switched Terrell to linebacker, and the brothers won a Vanier Cup — UBC’s first in 18 years — together.
“I’m repeating myself but it was it was a dream come true sharing that with my brother,” Terrell says. “A lot of guys don’t get to experience something like that. Just being on the same field as Marcus … we always think the same. I can always count on him, he can always count on me.”
Terrell Davis, like his brother, is learning from veterans like Larry Dean and Simoni Lawrence, and takes second-team reps as middle linebacker during training camp. In his 2016 rookie year, he made seven tackles and a sack on defence, but didn’t see as much defensive action last season, playing mostly on special teams.
“I know I can step in if needed (to start at linebacker),” he says.
The two aren’t roommates in camp because Marcus is in the team dorm at McMaster’s Les Prince Hall while Terrell is staying in the nearby home he rents for the season. But they’re cherishing this fortnight together.
“It’s something we’ve always dreamed of, but for it to actually happen is kind of crazy,” Terrell says. “It’s super surreal. We’re just thankful for the opportunity to play together again, especially in the pros.”