(Photo: RUBEN R. RAMIREZ/EL PASO TIMES)
Growing up in Northeast El Paso in the late 1980s, playing defensive back and later quarterback for the Irvin Rockets, Billy Davis didn't fit the profile of the typical University of Pittsburgh star athlete.
Even after a standout career there as a wide receiver, he was undrafted, which made any dreams of playing in the NFL remote at best.
That all added up to make him the most likely bearer of a special message Friday afternoon, back on the football field where his longshot dreams began at Irvin High.