arts & entertainment
Vernon Davis: The NFL
Playoffs Interview
By kam williams
Special To The Skanner
News
San Francisco 49ers tight
end Vernon Davis is a
game-changer
who
embodies the ethos of
leadership both on and off
the field. Picked 6th overall
in the 1st round of the 2006
NFL Draft out of the
University of Maryland,
Vernon had already been an
All-American football star
in high school and a multi-
award
winner
setting
records for speed, strength
and receptions.
In advance of draft day, he
ran the 40-yard dash in the
fastest time ever for a tight
end. And at the time of his
signing. he became the
highest paid tight end in
NFL history.
Ever a record breaker,
Davis is a two-time team
captain and a two-time Pro
Bowl player who helped
lead the 49ers to this year’s
playoffs. He is also the
recipient of the Len
Eshmont Award as the
club’s most inspirational
player and in 2009 tied the
NFL’s single-season TD
record for tight ends with
13.
Here, he talks about life
and about his team’s
prospects as the 49ers enter
the playoffs.
kam williams: Hi,
Vernon, thanks for the inter-
view.
Vernon Davis
vernon Davis: Hi, Kam,
thanks for speaking with
me.
kw: Congrats on a very
successful 2011 season with
the 49ers. You guys not only
won your division but
earned a bye the first week
in the playoffs. Do you
think the team will make it
to the Superbowl?
vD: Yes! Everyone on
our team is very motivated,
especially given where
we’ve come from and what
we’ve been through in the
past.
kw: As a tight end, you
have to both block and
catch passes. Which do you
enjoy doing more?
I like both, but I’d have to
say I like catching passes
more because of the thrill of
it. Don’t get me wrong, I
like helping guys in the
passing game, too.
kw: Tell me, what it feels
like to score a touchdown in
a packed stadium in front of
thousands of fans?
vD: There’s nothing like
going out on the field on a
Sunday and making plays in
front of a large audience of
fans and having them cheer
for you. You can hear the
cheers and then again you
can’t because you’re in the
moment and you’ve just
scored a touch-down.
You’ve just beaten some-
one. And to be good at
something you’re so com-
petitive about is a feeling
you can’t explain.
kw: Precious few pairs
of siblings have been able to
make it to the NFL. I can
think of Eli and Peyton
Manning and Tiki and
Ronde Barber. What do you
attribute your and Vontae’s
success to? Your genes?
Luck? Hard work? Good
coaching?
vD: I’d have to say hard
work. We’ve worked so
hard to get to where we are
today. And nothing comes
easily in terms of success. If
you want success, you have
to work hard at it and realize
that it takes time; it doesn’t
come to you overnight. I
was just speaking with my
little cousin on the tele-
phone who wants to be a
singer and she was upset
and a little discouraged
because she wants to be a
singer and it’s not happen-
ing yet. But what I told her
is that instead of being
upset, you should be prac-
ticing, because the harder
you work the more success-
ful you’ll become. All my
life, I’ve worked hard
knowing that someone else
is out there is trying to out-
work me. So, I’d be out
there on Christmas and dur-
ing winter breaks. That’s
how I’ve kept my edge.
kw:
Bernadette
Beekman observed that you
and your brother do a lot of
charity work. She’d like to
know which gives you the
most satisfaction.
vD: Giving back and try-
ing to create opportunities
that will be advantageous to
kids in the future. When I
was a kid, I didn’t get to
meet role models from the
NFL or the NBA. So it
means a lot to me to put a
smile on their faces by
showing up.
kw: You launched a
design company last year,
Modern
Class
Design. What are your
future plans with it?
vD: To take it to a whole
new level with urban
renewal projects. I look at
this business venture as an
opportunity to give back
and build my brand at the
same time. At the end of the
day, what could be better
than making a great living
and making a big differ-
ence?
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
Page 8 The Portland Skanner January 11, 2012