Stephen Davis ( American football ) Stephen Lamont Davis ( born March 1 , 1974 ) is a retired American football running back who played eleven seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . Davis was the Carolina Panthers ' minority coaching intern for the 2010 - 11 season . Early years . A native of Spartanburg , South Carolina , Davis attended Spartanburg High School , where he excelled in football and track . At the 1991 South Carolina state meet , he set a state record in the 100 metres with 10 . 40 seconds . His record stood for 17 years , until Marcus Rowland ran a 10 . 35 at the 2008 state meet . Regarded as the No . 1 recruit in the nation in 1992 , Davis was named " USA Today " Offensive High School Football Player of the Year . College career . Davis played three years ( 1993 , 1994 , 1995 ) for Auburn University starting in his sophomore year . He made the All - SEC team his last two seasons and graduated as the team ' s fourth all - time leading rusher behind Joe Cribbs , James Brooks , and Bo Jackson . He was also a letterman for all three seasons . Davis currently holds the record for rush attempts ( 1 , 945 ) , rush yards ( 8 , 052 ) and rushing TDs ( 65 ) amongst all Auburn alumni in NFL history . Professional career . Washington Redskins . Davis was drafted in the fourth round ( 103rd overall ) in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins . Davis was primarily used as a fullback , and was part of the Redskins ' backfield with Terry Allen . He spent three seasons as a backup and fullback before getting the starting nod at the start of the 1999 NFL season . This was Davis ' breakout season , when he posted career highs , and ended up representing the NFC in the Pro Bowl . He led the NFC in yards rushing with 1 , 405 , and led the league in yards per carry ( 4 . 8 ) . He was also the league ' s leading non - kicking scorer , posting 108 points on 17 touchdown s and one two - point conversion . He continued to post high numbers the following season en route to his second straight Pro Bowl selection . In 2001 , Davis rushed for 1 , 432 , breaking the record he had set in 1999 for most rushing yards in a season by a Redskin . Said Football Outsiders about Davis ' s 1999 season , " Stephen Davis was just a monster in 1999 with 1407 yards ( second in the league ) and 17 touchdowns ( nobody else scored more than 13 ) . He led the league with a 60 % success rate , and nobody else with at least 75 carries was over 55 % . " Carolina Panthers . Davis signed with the Carolina Panthers for the start of the 2003 NFL season , and was a catalyst in leading the team to Super Bowl XXXVIII . Davis rushed for a career - high 1 , 444 rushing yards and eight touchdowns . He also finished in the top three for the NFL MVP voting that year . Davis led all rushers in the postseason with 315 yards . Unfortunately for Davis , he suffered an injury early the following season , and was one of fourteen Panthers on injured reserve as the Panthers struggled to a 7 - 9 record . He was also on the injured list early in the 2005 season , but came off the bench after a few games before being forced to sit out the remainder of the season with nagging knee injuries . Davis was released by the Panthers on March 1 , 2006 . St . Louis Rams . On August 24 , 2006 , Davis worked out with the St . Louis Rams and was offered a one - year contract , which he accepted . Retirement . On February 27 , 2008 Davis signed a one - day contract with Carolina so he could officially retire as a Panther ; he did so the next day on February 28 , 2008 . Later , in 2012 , he came forth with reports about suffering from tinnitus and other concussion related side effects .