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Davis ready for AFL

Eventually, if you work hard enough, your dream will come true.

Well, former Bellaire High School all-state quarterback Jose Davis has dreamed of playing football his entire life.

In fact, he almost has.

The 6-ft.-1 Kent State University graduate started playing Pee-Wee football. He moved up to junior high, high school, college and then, finally, the professional ranks.

In the pros, Davis toiled for the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the 2000 and 2001 seasons before hooking on with his hometown Ohio Valley Greyhounds in the NIFL for the 2002 season.

After leading the Greyhounds to the championship with a 55-52 win over Billings in Indoor Bowl II in which he was named the MVP, Davis moved up the ladder to play the next five seasons with Arena Football League teams Indiana (2003), Colorado 2004-2005), Grand Rapids (2006) and Kansas City (2007).

He will have a new address for the 2008 season and it will be in Cleveland with the AFL’s expansion Gladiators as a backup signal-caller. The Gladiators migrated eastward after spending last few seasons in Las Vegas.

However, the former record-setter at BHS and KSU won’t be lonely.

The starting quarterback will be long-time friend, and former teammate, Raymond Philyaw, while Davis has played for every one of the Cleveland coaches at one time during his professional career, including head coach Mike Wilpolt who was the Las Vegas Avengers’ defensive coordinator the past three seasons.

Wilpolt also served as interim head coach of the Indiana Firebirds in 2004 when Davis was a member of the team.

The former runnerup for “Mr. Football” in the Buckeye State will don uniform No. 5 when the Gladiators make their Cleveland debut Monday night against the New York Dragons. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena, also home to the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

While this will be Jose’s sixth season of AFL competition, it will be his first in his home state.

“That’s the most exciting part about it,” he said of reviving his playing career. “I had some memorable times playing football in Ohio, both in high school and college.”

Davis still holds more than a dozen passing records at Kent State, but did have more until current Cleveland Browns All-Pro Joshua Cribbs re-wrote the Golden Flashes’ books.

The Cleveland franchise is owned by former Cleveland Brown and University of Miami (Fla.) standout quarterback Bernie Kosar.

North can be reached at knorth@timesleaderonline.com

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