Quick Stats: Vernon Davis, Super Bowl champ/tight end, Washington Redskins
Daily Driver: 2018 BMW 750i (Vernon’s rating: 10 on a scale of 1 to 10)
Other cars: See below
Favorite road trip: Washington, D.C. to New York
Car he learned to drive in: 1996 Chevrolet Impala
First car bought: 2006 Cadillac Escalade
At 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis wanted a comfortable daily driver, and he found one in the 2018 BMW 750i.
“I love it because of the power, the mobility. It’s a big car that handles really, really well, and it’s crazy fast,” Davis tells MotorTrend. “I was looking for a car that can fit my kids comfortably. You can drive it every day, you can get around in and out of the city, an everyday car that can be used also for special events or just for your leisure. It’s just an amazing car all around.”
Even though Davis gives it a perfect 10, he has one slight complaint. “I wish it had more gadgets in it, that’s all,” he says. “I wish it had more technology in the center console and maybe in the back, as well.”
2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600
Rating: 9
Davis drives his Mercedes-Maybach on special occasions. “I love it because [although it’s] not as fast as the BMW, it still handles really, really well, and it looks amazing,” he says. “When you pull up, it’s like, ‘This car is fantastic.’”
He gives it a 9 because it’s one feature shy of the perfect luxury ride. “If the doors can open by itself, that would great. Especially [on] a grand car like that? Whew,” Davis says.
Davis drives this when he goes to a movie premiere. “It’s just one of those cars I bring out every once in a while,” he says. “…When we’re going to nice places, restaurants, games, breakfast.”
The car reminds him of a saying, “If you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you play good.”
“When you get in that car, you feel really good about yourself. If you’re going about your day, you know that you’re getting into a nice vehicle,” he says.
His kids wish this could be the family’s daily driver. “Oh my gosh, the kids love it. Every time when we’re not driving it, it’s like, ‘Daddy, how come we can’t drive that car? We love it.’ Sometimes when I’m in the kitchen, I’ll be like, ‘Wow, they’re inside the car,’” he says, laughing.
Car he learned to drive in
Davis learned to drive around the streets of northwest Washington, D.C. in his grandmother’s gold 1996 Chevrolet Impala.
“My aunt taught me. It started out with me sitting in her lap, and she would put my hands on the wheel and tell me to press the gas and she would be really cautious until I got the swing of it,” he says. “And then, after that, she sat in the passenger seat, and I was just going away, I was ready to go.”
He was 15 and eager to learn to drive as soon as he could. “You know how as a kid, you always wanted a remote control car for Christmas? That’s how I was. After I got done with remote control cars, I said, ‘I’m ready to drive.’ Forget the go karts, forget the little play toys, I’m ready to go, put me in Fast and Furious.”
Luckily, there was a great place nearby where he could practice driving. “There was a park right down the road. That park was really, really spacious, and a lot of people would go there so that they can get driving lessons. It was just one of those parks that I would go in and my grandmother would let me drive,” he recalls. “And once I learned how to wheel and deal, that’s when it was on. She bought me my very first car, which was an SUV.”
When he was a senior in high school, his grandmother bought him a used 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe. “I had that vehicle from the time I was a senior in high school all the way up until my junior year of college,” he says. “The only thing I remember, it was just one of those SUVs that I always wanted, and I cherished that car, I kept it for a long time. And I actually passed it down to my younger brother and it ended with him. He got rid of that car, it died a long time ago.”
First car bought
When Davis turned pro and got drafted to the San Francisco 49ers, he bought a new 2006 Cadillac Escalade. “It meant a lot to me to be able to just buy my own personal vehicle and to know that I didn’t rely on anyone,” he says.
Favorite road trip
“My favorite road trip memory is when my fiancée and I drove from Washington, D.C. to Pennsylvania, and then we drove all the way to New York and turned back around,” he says. “It was just a beautiful time. We shared a lot of memories [and] had an opportunity to learn more about each other. And just talked about all the problems we were having in our lives and solving those problems. It was just a great trip. It was just one of those trips that you’ll always remember.”
Although people often take road trips during the summer, this one took place in the winter of 2017. “[There was] a lot of snow on the ground, and it felt like it was Christmas, but it wasn’t; it was February, and it was awesome,” he says. “The roads were clear, it was just a lot of snow along the side. The roads were super clear, it was just snow that wasn’t melted yet.”
The trip took about a week as the couple enjoyed themselves in Pennsylvania and New York. “It was a birthday plan for us, she wanted to take me to some places, so I drove and we made some fun of it. We stayed at the Poconos for two nights, and then we went to downtown Philadelphia … and then we went shopping and had dinner in New York, and went to an art gallery. And I got on the road and drove back. On our way driving back, we didn’t stop anywhere, we just did a straight drive.”
Off the football field, Davis has kept busy: “I’ve got to keep going,” he says.
Drinkpathwater.com
Davis is not only a spokesman for PathWater, but he’s also an owner. “PathWater is a new way of drinking water. They’re eliminating single-use plastic water bottles,” he says. “The reason is because the ocean is being polluted, [and PathWater is] encouraging people to refill and not landfill. We had a meeting, and the synergy was just there. I just thought it was great that they were trying to save the environment like that, so it just fit in my wheelhouse.”
View this post on InstagramWe’re the @pathwater dudes. @guyfieri #drinkpath
Timeless Sports Nutrition
Davis is also a spokesman and an owner at Timeless Sports Nutrition, which is a supplement brand.
“I created it because I wanted to find a way to give people organic raw materials when it comes to the ingredients,” he says. “Just from my 14 years of playing in the NFL, I found that creating supplements and trying them for myself and letting tons of people try it, I was able to come up with the best product.”
Davis has always wanted to do this. “I’ve always been with supplement companies, I’ve always had deals with them, but I haven’t been able to create my own line and manipulate what goes into the supplements, so I was able to do that and it’s been great. We’re all about sports performance, recovery, and nutrient support.” The website is timelesssportsnutrition.com.
Hell on the Border
Davis just finished filming the movie Hell on the Border with Frank Grillo, Ron Perlman, and David Gyasi. “It’s a true story about the first black deputy in Mississippi. I’m a guy who’s transporting people from the South to Kansas.” He expects the movie to be out next year.
READ MORE CELEBRITY DRIVES HERE:
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- Cliff Floyd, MLB Network Analyst and World Series Champ
- Cary Deuber of “The Real Housewives of Dallas”
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