Davis, nicknamed "Mr. Outside", won the Maxwell Award in 1944 and the Heisman Trophy in 1946. He was also among the runners up in 1944 and 1945. Blanchard, his teammate, won the award in 1945. Davis also was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1946. As a collegian, Davis scored a then-record 59 touchdowns. He still holds the all-time record for most yards averaged per carry in a season, with 11.5 yards in 1945. Together with Blanchard, they set a then-record 97 career touchdowns by a pair of teammates. (The record was broken by University of Southern California backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White, who had 99 career touchdowns.) In 2007, Davis was ranked #13 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.
After graduation, Davis served three years in the military before joining the Los Angeles Rams. A knee injury in 1952 ended his professional career.