Illinois football loses a legend with the passing of Vontae Davis

Sad news broke on Monday, as Illinois football lost one of the legends of the program.

In news that was broken by WSVN of Miami, they are reporting that former Illini defensive back Vontae Davis was found dead at his home on Monday morning.

The report by WSVN goes on to say that the body of Davis was found at a home owned by his grandmother, Adaline Davis, and that police say there was no foul play involved. Davis was just 35 years old.

Vontae Davis had a great career with the Illinois football program and in the NFL

Davis was a legend in many people’s eyes, especially the ones who watched him growing up. He was one of the key players who helped form my Illini fandom and took the program to great heights.

In three seasons with Illinois, Davis amassed 206 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and seven interceptions. In 2006, he made the freshman All-American team. In 2007, he made the All-Big Ten first team. In his final season with the Illini, Davis made the All-Big Ten first team and was a third-team All-American. He was also a key figure in leading Illinois to the 2008 Rose Bowl.

Davis’ great play got him noticed by the NFL. In the first round, pick No. 25, in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected the Illini star.

The career of Davis was pretty impressive. He spent three seasons in Miami where he had nine interceptions. He then went to the Indianapolis Colts. Davis’ six seasons with the Colts include two trips to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2015. He would then finish his career with the Buffalo Bills.

For his NFL career, Davis started in 113 games and had 395 tackles, 97 pass deflections, and 22 interceptions. He was a great player at both levels of the game and someone who will never be forgotten. RIP legend.