Ben Davidson
Ben Davidson
Defensive End

Ben Davidson

"He was intent on intimidating me and every other quarterback." - Joe Namath

Ben Davidson, a 6-foot-8 defensive end with a handlebar mustache, was among the meanest and scariest-looking Raiders of the 1960s and 70s. An intimidating pass rusher, Davidson made three straight Pro Bowls with the Raiders starting in 1966. On the field, he is best remembered for what happened on November 1, 1970, in the fourth quarter of a game against the Chiefs. With the Raiders trailing late, Kansas City’s QB, Len Dawson, made a nice run to seemingly clinch the game. After Dawson went down, Davidson used his helmet as a spear and dove into Dawson, which ignited a brawl and led to offsetting penalties, wiping out the play as the Raiders came back to win. The fiasco led to the “Ben Davidson Rule,” which made such hits on already-fallen offensive players illegal. Off the field, Davidson – a Los Angeles native who’d been a fourth round draft pick in 1961 – was a rebellious but personable figure who went on motorcycle trips across the United States and through Central America. After football, Davidson became an actor, appearing in movies like “MASH,” “Conan the Barbarian,” and “Necessary Roughness;” and in commercials for Miller Lite.