By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist

61. Kenneth Davis – Signed by the Bills in 1989

It’s not an easy role to be the backup to one of the greatest running backs in pro football history. Not only did Kenneth Davis fill that role for six years – he thrived in it.

Davis was a second-round draft choice of the Packers in 1986, and led the team in rushing in his rookie season. But soon he fell out of favor in Green Bay, and was one of the first free agents ever signed by the Bills as rules involving player mobility started to loosen.

Yes, it was tough to get playing time with Thurman Thomas around. But Davis took advantages of his opportunities. In 1991, he ran for a career-high 624 yards. The 1992 season might have been even better all-around for Davis, as he ran for 613 yards, caught 15 passes and scored six touchdowns. Kenneth also replaced Thomas after an injury and scored the first Buffalo touchdown in the Bills’ famous comeback win over the Oilers. He retired in 1995.

Someone put a serious amount of work into this. He must be a fan:

(Get a quick look at Free Agents from No. 61 to 80)

(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey has been involved in almost every aspect of the local sports scene for the last 40 years. He worked for WEBR Radio, the Buffalo Sabres' public relations department and The Buffalo News during that time. In that time he covered virtually every aspect of the area's sports world, from high schools to the Bills and Sabres and everything in between. Along the way, Budd served as a play-by-play announcer for the Bisons, an analyst for the Stallions, and a talk-show host. He won the National Lacrosse League's Tom Borrelli Award as the media personality of the year in 2011, and was a finalist for that same award in 2017. Budd's seventh and eighth books, one on the Transcontinental Railroad and the other about Ichiro Suzuki, are scheduled to be released in the fall.

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