But what truly sets Mary Hardin-Baylor’s sophomore center apart from run-of-the-mill student-athletes is his unselfishness and maturity. And those attributes are products of only one thing - a childhood in which circumstances forced him to become a man while he was still a boy.
Davis’ upbringing isn’t fairy tale material, but it is a tale nonetheless, one of surrogate parents, stints of trouble, hard work and heartbreak.
“My parents were divorced by the time I started elementary school, so I lived with my grandparents in Harker Heights ever since I started school,” the 6-2, 285-pound former high school standout for the Knights said. “I still go over there every Monday. I took care of them for so long, doing their laundry and stuff.
“They’re getting older but they’re great people, and they’re the ones who gave me a background on what life should be.”
Davis received his lessons on life through a sink-or-swim process. He had the leeway to do things as he pleased, which at times led to trouble but eventually instilled in him a work ethic that’s second to none.
“It taught me from the beginning the importance of hard work,” he said of his childhood. “I never had anyone there to tell me to do my homework and there was never anyone telling me about a curfew, so I was kind of on my own. In my early years, I was always running around with my older brother and I got into some bad stuff when I first got in school. But I didn’t like that.
“I had to grow up fast. I didn’t have a chance to really be a kid. I was taking care of my grandparents and taking care of my little brother.”
Having steadied himself and accepted his role at home by the time he entered high school, Davis became a solid pitcher and infielder on his baseball teams and played football as a second sport.
“For a while, I thought I would try to play baseball in college because I was actually a better baseball player than football player through my first couple of years of high school,” he admitted. “I never thought I would do anything as a football player.”
His turnaround on the football field coincided with the biggest heartbreak of his life - the death of his father.
“The toughest part of everything for me was when my father died my sophomore year in high school,” Davis recalled. “I never knew him growing up and we were just getting close.
“Then all of the sudden you’re at a point where, ‘OK, he’s gone. What do I have in front of me? I’m a sophomore in high school and I don’t know what to do.’”
As for his mother, Davis said: “My mother is coming off her third divorce now, and I see her every once in a while.”
Believing he had no one to turn to following his father’s death, Davis reached a breaking point only to be built back up by a high school coach.
“I had never missed a football workout in my life up to that point,” he explained. “Then one day after my father died, I just blew up at practice and left.
“Luckily, one of the coaches called me and started picking me up for workouts. He really helped me, and it turned me around.”
It can’t be said that things have been perfect since that day - he spent a redshirt freshman season at Tarleton State, a period he called “a low point in my life” - but since transferring to UMHB to become a Christian studies major, Davis doesn’t have many complaints.
“I guess now, I kind of consider my grandparents like parents,” he said. “They still take care of me. They still try to help me out with money, even though they don’t have any money themselves. They still call me every day and check on me.
“My grandpa loves sports. They worry about me all the time. They can’t get over here for the games, but they listen to every one on the radio and they worry. It’s nice to have people who care about you.”
Just as Davis is enjoying his time as a college student, UMHB coaches are enjoying his stint as a Crusader.
Since the graduation of Rimington Award winner Matt Bush after the 2004 season, the Crusaders have been searching for another anchor at center.
They think they’ve finally found their man.
“This is the guy,” UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg said of Davis. “He is Matt Bush good. In fact, I think Dustin might be a little better than Matt was as a sophomore.
“Dustin is so athletic, and he has size and strength and is very knowledgeable. Plus, he’s easy to coach.”
Davis - who takes compliments in stride - has a keen ability to understand and accept the manner in which people push him to succeed, whether it be a coach or a friend such as preseason All-American lineman Josh Littlejohn.
“I know the coaches like me,” Davis said. “But I also know that since I have two more years here, they can’t always tell me ‘Good job’ because they have to keep pushing me.
“The older players do it, too. Like Josh Littlejohn, who didn’t really like me when I first got here, we’ve become best of friends and we’re constantly pushing each other to get better.”
While there are certain spoils that come with being a UMHB football player - the Crusaders (5-0, 4-0 American Southwest Conference) are ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III and are trying to close in on their fourth straight ASC title - it might seem that after all he’s been through, there’s no need for Davis to push and prove himself any more.
He has faced his demons, so why go through the pain and sacrifice necessary to play football?
“I feel like football gives me a great opportunity to better myself,” Davis said. “I do good in school and in a ministry I’m a part of in Killeen. But in football, there’s always room for improvement. And deep down inside, I’m playing for the guys next to me.
“I’m playing for guys like Josh Littlejohn and Clayton McCorkle, other linemen who took me in when I got here. I play for seniors like Derrick Williams and Eric Henri, defensive guys who go to war with you very week. That’s who I play for because those are the guys who are going to be lifelong friends.”
And considering all he’s been through, maybe someone to stick by him was all he was searching for all along.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
