Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis ( born October 28 , 1972 ) is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League ( NFL ) from 1995 to 2001 . Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round ( 196th pick overall ) of the 1995 NFL Draft . Davis is the Denver Broncos all - time leading rusher , with 7 , 607 rushing yards . As a player , he was given the nickname " T . D . " by players , fans and the media ; this denoted both the initials of his first and last name as well as being an abbreviation for touchdown . Early life . Davis was born to nurse Kateree Davis , a mother of eight children . In his senior year at Lincoln High School , the coaches gave him a chance at fullback , in a three back formation . He was given playing time in other positions , including kicker , and helped lead his team to a 12 - 2 record . Davis set the Lincoln Prep record in the discus throw as a member of the track team . After graduation , Davis went on to play football at Long Beach State University . His brother Reggie Webb was a tailback there before him , and he persuaded the school to grant Davis a scholarship . College career . At Long Beach State , Davis joined the football team that was coached by former Washington Redskins coach George Allen . He redshirted his freshman year in order to give him an extra year of eligibility . Davis never played an official game for coach Allen , because Allen died after the end of 1990 season . Davis played the following season and rushed for 262 yards on 55 carries . Long Beach State eliminated its football program due to budget concerns at the end of the 1991 season . Davis transferred to the University of Georgia . During his first season with the Georgia Bulldogs , Davis backed up future NFL starting running back Garrison Hearst . After Hearst graduated , Davis became the top running back during the 1993 season , and rushed for 824 yards on 167 carries . Davis ' senior season at Georgia got off to a rocky start when he aggravated a tear in his hamstring muscle against Tennessee early in the season , which took him out of the lineup for three games . Davis ran for 445 yards on 67 carries that year , but in his last two games , he rushed for 113 and 121 yards , respectively . After the season , he was invited to Blue - Gray Football Classic game . Davis ' reputation for being injury - prone hurt his standing in the NFL draft , along with the fact that Coach Goff denied scouts game film of Davis . Davis graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Consumer Economics . Professional career . In 1995 , newly appointed Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan drafted Davis in the 6th Round of the 1995 NFL Draft . Davis entered training camp as the sixth string tailback and was a long shot to make the team . He managed to impress the Broncos coaching staff after his second pre - season game , most notably with a crushing hit as a member of special teams . Davis kept improving with each pre - season game and was promoted to starting running back for the season ' s opening game . With Davis at running back , the Broncos possessed the potent running attack that they had previously lacked . Davis started 14 games during the 1995 season , carrying the ball 237 times , averaging 4 . 7 yards per run , and scoring eight touchdowns . Davis finished his season with a total of 1 , 117 rushing yards , becoming the lowest drafted player to ever gain over 1 , 000 yards rushing in his rookie season . In 1996 , Davis signed a lucrative new five - year contract with the Broncos that was worth $ 6 . 8 million . That season , he rushed for a total of 1 , 538 yards and set a Denver Broncos record for rushing touchdown s with 13 . The Broncos ended that season with a 13 – 3 record , tied with the Green Bay Packers for the best in the NFL that year . Super Bowl XXXII . Following the 1997 regular season , The 12 - 4 Broncos made it through the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl . Not only had the Broncos lost in each of their four previous Super Bowl appearances , but the AFC conference had a 13 - year losing streak in Super Bowls against the NFC . In the Super Bowl , Davis rushed for 157 yards , caught two passes for 8 yards , and became the first player in Super Bowl history to score three rushing touchdowns . This performance earned him MVP honors despite having to sit out the second quarter due to a migraine , an affliction from which he has suffered since childhood . Super Bowl XXXIII . In 1998 , Davis rushed for 2 , 008 yards becoming a member of the 2000 rushing yards club , then the third highest rushing total in history . This performance earned him league MVP honors , his third straight AFC rushing title , his first NFL rushing title , and his second time being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press . At the end of the season , the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII , with Davis recording 102 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards . Super Bowl XXXIII was the last postseason game in which Davis would play . In his 8 postseason games from 1996 to 1998 , his numbers were staggering : 204 carries for 1 , 140 yards and 12 touchdowns , along with 19 receptions for 131 yards . This included a streak of 7 consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards , all of which the Broncos won , breaking the previous record for consecutive 100 rushing yard postseason games held by John Riggins ( 6 ) . Even in the sole playoff game in which Davis didn ' t gain 100 rushing yards , he still had an impressive performance , rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown and catching 7 passes for 27 yards . Davis was sent to the Pro Bowl in the 1996 , ’ 97 , and ’ 98 seasons . Nicknamed “ TD , ” Davis popularized the “ Mile High Salute , ” a military - style salute given to fans and teammates in celebration of a touchdown . Later career . After the 1998 season , Davis was plagued with injuries and saw action infrequently . In 1999 , Davis tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament of his right knee while trying to make a tackle on an interception thrown against the New York Jets , during the fourth game of the season . This injury kept him out for the remainder of the year . In 2000 , Davis was sidelined for all but five games because of a stress reaction injury in his lower leg . In 2001 , he only played in eight games because of arthroscopic surgery on both knees . Davis retired during the preseason of 2002 . He walked through the tunnel in uniform for the final time during a preseason Denver - San Francisco 49ers matchup held at Invesco Field at Mile High . To a standing ovation , he gave a mile - high salute to the fans and was hugged by his teammates . After walking to midfield as the lone Broncos player at the coin toss , Davis retreated to the sideline . He spent the second half in street clothes . The following week , upon his request , he was placed on injured reserve , ending his season and effectively ending his career . Through his first four seasons , Davis rushed for 6 , 413 yards ( 4 . 8 yards per carry ) and 56 touchdowns . Among the 24 modern - era Hall of Fame halfbacks and fullbacks , only Earl Campbell ( 6 , 457 , 4 . 6 yards per carry ) and Eric Dickerson ( 6 , 968 , 4 . 8 yards per carry ) had more rushing yards during their first four seasons ; no member of the Hall of Fame matched Davis ’ first - four - season 56 rushing touchdowns . Davis was selected for ESPN ' s All - Time 40 - Man Super Bowl roster as a running back for his performances in Super Bowls XXXII & XXXIII . Overall , Davis finished his 7 NFL seasons with 7 , 607 rushing yards , 169 receptions for 1 , 280 yards , and 65 touchdowns ( 60 rushing and 5 receiving ) . He and John Elway are the only two Broncos named league MVP . Off the field . Davis currently resides in Temecula , California , with his wife Tamiko Nash . He wrote an autobiography titled " TD : Dreams in Motion " after his first Super Bowl victory . A chapter was later added to the book covering his NFL MVP season and second championship win . Davis was on the cover of the video game " NFL GameDay 99 " by 989 Sports . He made an appearance in " Madden NFL 2006 " , serving as the player ' s mentor in the new NFL Superstar Mode and adds his voice to the game . Recognition . In 2004 , Davis was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame . Davis was one of the semifinalists for the 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility . On July 27 , 2007 , it was announced that Davis would be inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame . His induction ceremony took place at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 23 , 2007 , in a Broncos home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars . In 2006 , Davis was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame . A Blue Terrell Davis Beanie Baby was made in memory of Davis . Television . Davis appeared on " Sesame Street " in a skit with Elmo and a talking football . Elmo called Davis " the man " and Davis responded , " Thank you , thank you . I try ! " The episode was filmed in December 1998 in New York , and Davis said on the episode of " " profiling the 1998 Broncos that he was originally supposed to film the episode the day after Denver ' s Week 15 matchup with the New York Giants which was played in Giants Stadium in New Jersey . The plan was for Davis to stay behind in New York for the day while the rest of the team flew home , assuming that the Broncos would win . However , because the Giants defeated the Broncos , Davis had to return to Denver for a Monday practice / film session with the team and then fly back to New York the next day to film his parts . Davis guest - starred on Disney Channel ' s " The Jersey " , in an episode called " They Say It ' s Your Birthday " along with other sports stars Shannon Sharpe , Tim Brown , Hardy Nickerson and Tony Siragusa . The episode originally aired on October 21 , 2000 . Davis appeared on an episode of " Sister , Sister " at the twins ' graduation to give a speech . Post retirement , Davis worked for NFL Network as a correspondent and studio host for NFL Total Access . Davis also served as a color commentator for some NFL Europe games covered by NFL Network . Davis appeared on the August 29 , 2008 episode of " The Colbert Report " to analyze the acceptance speech given by U . S . Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama at Invesco Field at Mile High a day earlier . Legal disputes . In 2001 , Davis was named in the Atlanta ' s Gold Club federal prostitution , fraud and racketeering trial . The owner , Steve Kaplan , initially denied accusations of arranging dancers for athletes , claiming that he was unaware of any sexual encounters . Employee Jana Pelnis testified that she had sex with Davis in the club . Kaplan later pleaded guilty and was fined $ 5 million . A sentence of three years in jail was put on the table , but Kaplan instead received a sentence of 16 months and 400 hours of community service . Davis was never charged with any criminal wrongdoing . However , Campbell Soups dropped him from their advertising shortly thereafter . In September 2006 , Davis filed a lawsuit against Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co . for breach of contract over its refusal to defend him in a lawsuit related to a tussle at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel . A judge dismissed Davis ' suit against Liberty Mutual in January 2007 after both parties reached a settlement . In the lawsuit against the Roosevelt , Davis claimed he was roughed up by two bouncers during a party at the hotel ' s Tropicana Bar in October 2005 . Davis said he suffered a bruised neck and damage to a surgically repaired hip .