In 1996, Davis was selected as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American at running back in 1995 and 1996. Davis finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1995. In 1996, he narrowly finished second to winner Danny Wuerffel. He won three out of four Heisman regions, but lost badly in the South region. He was also nosed out for the Doak Walker Award by another Big 12 running back, Byron Hanspard of Texas Tech. Hanspard edged Davis for the award despite Hanspard earning a 0.00 grade point average during his final season playing for Texas Tech. He did however win the Jim Brown Award and the Chic Harley Award given to the top running back and best college football player respectively. He was inducted into the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 2007. Davis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. College statistics Professional career Davis elected to forgo his senior season of eligibility and declared for the 1997 NFL Draft. He was drafted in the 3rd round (62nd overall) by the New Orleans Saints. During his three seasons with the Saints Davis started 11 games and rushed for 446 yards on 150 attempts. Davis left the Saints after the 1999 season and was drafted by the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL, but was cut in training camp. Davis then signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL as a running back and kick-returner for the 2001 season. In 2004, he led the league in rushing and set the franchise record with 1,656 yards. He was traded mid-season in 2005 to the Edmonton Eskimos in exchange for a package headlined by Brock Ralph, Tay Cody, and the first overall draft pick in the 2006 Draft. He was able to play a key role in leading the Eskimos to winning the 93rd Grey Cup that year. On February 23, 2007, the Eskimos released Davis. He was later signed to the Toronto Argonauts practice roster on September 25, 2007. Davis was initially released by the Argonauts on October 17, 2007, but rejoined their practice roster on October 23, 2007. NFL statistics CFL statistics Personal life Davis is the brother of Darren Davis, who played running back at Iowa State beginning in Troy's final season until 1999. Darren ran for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons