Ben Davis ( American football ) Benjamin Frank " Ben " Davis ( born October 30 , 1945 ) is a former professional American football cornerback and return specialist for ten years in the National Football League . Early years . Benjamin Davis was born in 1945 in Birmingham , Alabama . His father , a graduate of St . Augustine ' s College , a traditional black college in Raleigh , North Carolina , was briefly a high school history teacher , but found it more lucrative to own and operate a service station in the black section of Birmingham . His mother , with an MA from New York University , was an elementary school teacher . The family owned a large home in a middle class mixed neighborhood called " Dynamite Hill " after so - called " night rider " terrorist s began bomb attacks on civil rights leaders clustered there . To avoid the racial strife for which Dynamite Hill was named , children in the Davis family spent time with friends and relatives elsewhere . Ben graduated from a New Jersey high school at the age of 15 , then marked time by attending a prep school in Maine until he was old enough to enroll in Defiance College in rural Defiance , Ohio . “ I went to Defiance because I was looking for the same type of environment as the prep school , ” Davis told Fred Greetham in 2001 . “ I was in the band in high school , but I decided to go out for the football team in college . By the time we were seniors , we were undefeated . ” Professional career . Davis was drafted in the 17th ( and last ) round by the Cleveland Browns in the 1967 NFL Draft . With Paul Warfield , Gary Collins and Clifton McNeil already established as receivers , Davis was switched to a defensive role - and he did well . In his rookie year , he led the league in punt return s , averaging 12 . 7 yards per return , and one 52 - yard return for a touchdown . He also led the Browns in returning kickoffs , with 27 returns totalling 708 yards , including one of 63 yards . Only Leroy Kelly ( 15 . 6 ) , Greg Pruitt ( 12 . 9 ) and Eric Metcalf ( 12 . 9 ) ever had better years , returning punts for the Browns . In 1968 , Davis started as cornerback , and led the team with 8 interceptions . Others were nipping at his heels : the season ' s 32 interceptions that year set a Browns ' record . His individual performance is the 3rd - best in Browns history - and he still holds the record for seven consecutive games with an interception . A torn anterior cruciate ligament benched Davis during the 1969 season , and half the 1970 season . He was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1974 for a 5th - round draft pick . The Browns picked Jim Cope from Ohio State University , who fared poorly in the NFL . Davis , however , played two more seasons for the Lions before retiring from the field . Post - NFL . Davis went into copier sales after his football career ended , then went into cable television and bought a radio station in Tulsa , Oklahoma . Since 1995 , he ' s owned and operated Britt Business Systems , a Xerox dealer , in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood , Ohio . Davis has lived in Cleveland since 1967 , even commuting to Detroit when he played for the Lions . Personal . Benjamin and Sylvia Davis have two grown children , who both live in California . Davis ' s sister , Angela Davis , was a prominent political activist in the 1970s . A younger brother , Reggie Davis , also attended Defiance College .