BLUFF CITY — Dayne Davis is an inspiration to many in the Sullivan East community. They’ve seen Davis go from a walk-on for the University of Tennessee football team to a solid starter who was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the Vols racked up 617 yards in a win over Vanderbilt last November. Still, the roots in Bluff City run deep for the redshirt senior.
He talked about what it meant when his former high school hosted the third annual Dayne Davis Football Camp weeks ago. “Football, basketball, there are a lot of great memories playing with a lot of great guys,” Davis said. “It’s great to come back here and see the kids who are able to inherit the beautiful field they now have.
To have camp here with all the kids, it was awesome.” There’s certainly a close relationship with Davis and his former basketball coach, John Dyer, for whom the Patriots’ home gym is named. Davis, now at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds, was a standout in both sports for Sullivan East.
On the court, he was the Patriots’ all-time leading rebounder, but talked about how Dyer’s influence went well beyond the court. “There was accountability, trustworthiness, that was Coach Dyer’s motto,” Davis said. “We played together as a family, as a team.
He always stressed family and my four years playing basketball here was great. I have a ton of memories with the guys I played with and wouldn’t trade it for anything.” He has created more great memories as a Vols football play.