Former Packers player Davis happy at St. Norbert

By Greg Bates

Correspondent

DE PERE – Football has always been in Rob Davis’ blood.

When Davis left the Green Bay Packers in 2017 after 20-plus years as a player and then in the front office, he had the opportunity to coach his son’s youth football team.

That gig didn’t last as long as Davis expected.

Former Packers player Rob Davis is now a volunteer assistant coach with the St. Norbert College football team. SNC Athletics Photo

“My son said, ‘Dad, my friends and I want to have fun and you’re screaming it’s about winning,’” Davis said. “I figured I’d volunteer my time with a program that could develop young kids.”

Davis then accepted a role as the assistant defensive line coach for the St. Norbert College football team.

Two seasons into the job, it’s been a match made in heaven.

“It’s been tremendous to have Rob be with us,” said St. Norbert football coach Dan McCarty. “When you talk about one of the top guys at what he was doing in the NFL with player development, for him to be here with us with some of the player development things he did with the Packers – our guys all bought in and every eye is on him. He’s been a tremendous addition to the team for his football knowledge and his life experience. I can’t say enough about Rob and what he’s brought to our program.”

Davis is having a lot of fun coaching college-aged players without much pressure on his shoulders as an assistant.

“I have a lot of self-induced pressure,” Davis noted. “I want what’s best for those young men, and I want what’s best for the team and St. Norbert. I don’t temper my emotions. Obviously, I’m not out there with the same reaction to a loss if I was playing for the Packers, but I feel the pain of the young men. I know how hard they work, and I know how hard the coaching staff works. I enjoy the time I get to be around it.”

Davis, 50, was an All-America defensive tackle at Division II Shippensburg University.

Upon graduation in 1992, he spent two seasons on the New York Jets’ practice squad and then one with the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 1996, he latched onto the Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster as the team’s long snapper.

The next season, Davis signed with the Packers as a free agent and started the final 167 games – the third-longest streak in team history.

He won a Super Bowl ring in the first of his 11 seasons with the Packers.

As a former defensive lineman, getting back to coaching that position in college was a smooth transition.

“As a scout teamer in practice for years, I played defensive and offensive line at practice,” Davis said. “I was the emergency guy if we had any situations within the game, so I knew both the offense and the defense.”

Davis works alongside St. Norbert defensive coordinator Drew Vanderlin to get his linemen best prepared for Saturdays.

He talks to his guys about mental toughness, dealing with adversity and having the will to beat their opponent.

“One of the big things, when you go to professional football compared to smaller colleges, is playing with a certain physicality, playing with your hands and trying to exploit some of the things young players make mistakes on,” Davis said. “I try to teach them some of the NFL things I’ve learned over the years – whether it’s the hand-to-hand combat work, speed to power, the physicality you want to play with, playing up-tempo, walking the walk and talking the talk.”

One of the areas McCarty believes Davis helps teach his players about is attitude.

Davis admits since his Pop Warner days, he’s always been an intense player.

“Rob’s a pretty serious dude, especially on game day,” McCarty said. “I think it’s the little things which matter: the pass rush and hands. All the things we’re teaching them, but again, it’s a different voice with a different level of experience playing at the highest level of football.”

McCarty feels the players listen more intently to Davis because of his NFL background.

“Our players are like my own kids, where after a while, they tune me out from constantly hearing my voice,” McCarty joked. “For him to be able to come in and share his experiences and bringing a Super Bowl ring, our guys absolutely love Rob and are totally in when he’s presenting to them.”

After officially retiring from the NFL in March 2008, Davis went to the Packers’ front office as the director of player development/engagement.

In July 2017, Davis took his first job away from football at Pierce Manufacturing, which is an Oshkosh Corporation company in Appleton.

He is the senior director of operational excellence for the business that builds fire trucks.

Because of a busy schedule with his day job and a family, Davis isn’t able to make every St. Norbert football practice.

He generally makes it to three practices a week and every game.

Davis likes the situation he’s in as a volunteer coach at the college level.

However, he isn’t ruling out a more expanded role in the future.

“I always thought I was a coach at heart,” Davis said. “I feel I have excellent communication skills and relatability. I also have two young kids, and I know it can be tough on the wife of a coach. You’re going to miss some things, so I haven’t put it as a high priority. If someone were to reach out – I’ve got about four more years I want to work – for a full-time coaching job, my kids will be a bit older. But right now, I’m trying to help out where I can.”