Scott Moore
The Norman Transcript
August 15, 2008 12:15 am
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NOBLE — When asked his quarterback’s height, Noble coach Ray Crawley said he would be generous.
“He’s no bigger than a minute,” Crawley said. “I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he’s about 5-8.”
Chad Davidson isn’t the prototypical quarterback. He doesn’t tower over the line. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm.
What he has are leadership skills and a feel for the game. And despite being only 150 pounds — Crawley’s estimate — he’s already started 19 games for the Bears.
“He’s little bitty, but he will have started for us for three years,” Crawley said.
Getting his first start in the third game of his sophomore season, Davidson is entering his senior year as Noble’s field general. And that’s how Crawley thinks of him.
“We don’t ask him to go win football games. We just ask him to manage the team,” Crawley said. “He leads us. The other kids follow him.”
He can even correct his coach If Crawley makes a mistake. If he sends in a play and gets the verbiage wrong, Davidson will correct it in the huddle.
“I guess I know the offense pretty good,” Davidson said. “I try to, anyway.”
Said Crawley, “He’s like a coach on the field.”
Davidson will lead an offense that returns its No. 1 running back in Brandon McElhaney and will operate behind an offensive line that returns four starters. The Bears were 6-5 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Not a pocket passer, the Bears run an offense more suited to Davidson, whose strength is running the ball. Not that he can’t pass when needed.
“I’m not afraid of contact,” he said. “I’ve been hit enough times. I can take it.”
Because of his small stature, Davidson has had to work harder than most to prove himself on the field. Because of that work ethic, he’s been a starter since he was a tyke.
“Yeah, I’ve had to work harder to prove to people I could do it, even though I’m not that big,” he said. “It’s tough being little. No one has said anything to me (about my size), but maybe they thought about it. But they know how I am.”
This will be his last season of football. Because of his size, he probably won’t get many, if any, college offers.
But football is not his best sport. He also plays baseball. Last season, he played second base, shortstop and some third. He even pitched before injuring his right shoulder, also his throwing arm.
He suffered from Paget Schroeder’s Syndrome, which is similar a blockage in a vein, and can cause a lack of feeling in the fingers and forearm and, literally, be a pain in the neck. He had an angioplasty performed and Davidson said he has experienced no side affects.
He wants to play college baseball. But this time of year has focus is propelling Noble football as far as the Bears can take it.
“He’s such a great athlete,” Crawley said. “It’s such a luxury having him in there.”
“It’s my last year, so I just have to give it everything I got,” Davidson said. “We have everyone back so I expect us to be better than last year. I’m excited.”
Scott Moore
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sports@normantranscript.com
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