TCU’s Kenneth Davis on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Former TCU running back Kenneth Davis, who finished in the top five in the Heisman Trophy race in the mid-1980s, is on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

The class of 2018 will be announced at the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Jan. 8, 2018 in Atlanta. Davis is among 75 players and six coaches on the ballot, which was released Thursday.

Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Jacob Green and former Texas coach Mack Brown also are on the ballot.

Davis finished fifth in 1984 Heisman Trophy voting as he earned consensus first-team All-America honors that season. He rushed for 1,611 yards and 16 touchdowns on a 7.6 per carry average. The 1,611 yards rank third for a single season in TCU history, trailing only LaDainian Tomlinson’s totals of 2,158 and 1,850 in 2000 and 1999, respectively.

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The Temple native is fifth in TCU history with 2,994 yards rushing, while his 24 rushing touchdowns place eighth.

In 1984, Davis helped TCU earn a trip to the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston. Though TCU was routed by West Virginia (31-14), playing in the post season was a moral victory at the time. It was the Horned Frogs first bowl appearance since 1965.

But Davis’ senior year in 1985 was bleak. He missed all but the first game of his senior season when he was suspended (along with six teammates) after confessing he received cash payments from boosters.

Davis, however, was a successful pro who played nine seasons in the NFL and made four Super Bowl appearances with the Buffalo Bills. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1986 through 1988 and the Bills from 1989 through 1994.

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Davis, 55, currently is athletic director and former head football coach at Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Dallas.

TCU has 11 former players/coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. They are Ki Aldrich, center, 1960; Sammy Baugh, quarterback, 1951; Madison A. Bell, coach, 1955; Darrell Lester, center, 1988; Bob Lilly, defensive tackle, 1981; Rags Matthews, end, 1971; Dutch Meyer, coach, 1956; Davey O’Brien, quarterback, 1955; Francis Schmidt, coach, 1971; Jim Swink, Halfback, 1980; and LaDainian Tomlinson, running back, 2014.

Others on the ballot this year include longtime Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and former Texas coach Mack Brown, along with former players Charles Woodson, Ed Reed and Calvin Johnson. They are among those making their first appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot this year.

The ballot includes 75 players and six coaches who competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA. An additional 98 players and 31 coaches from lower divisions and NAIA are also up for consideration.

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Beamer coached Virginia Tech from 1987-2015 and won 238 games. Brown won 158 games in 15 seasons with Texas, including a national title in 2005.

Woodson played defensive back and returned punts for Michigan, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1997. Reed was a star safety on Miami’s 2001 national championship team. Johnson was an All-America receiver for Georgia Tech.

Notable players who have been up for consideration previously are Miami stars Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis, Eric Dickerson of SMU and Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, who won the 2001 Heisman Trophy. – Associated Press contributed to this story.