For the love of the game: no pain, no gain

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt Nadine Barclay
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
LAS VEGAS -- --  An off-duty motorcycle accident on a late night a little over a year ago stripped many things from Staff Sgt. Ryan Davis' life that he previously enjoyed.

Gone was the former semi-professional football player's ability to play the game he loved. Gone, temporarily, was his ability to serve his country and perform as an Airman. And gone were the days when he took his life for granted. 

As players take the field at Legacy High School in Las Vegas, Davis, a 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron combat arms training and maintenance instructor and Legacy High School football team defensive coordinator, reminisces about the night that changed everything.

"A little after I [moved] here, I was riding my motorcycle down a residential street. It was kind of late, and I hit a pothole in the road that I didn't see. I laid my bike out and slid down the road. I was pretty hurt," recalls Davis.

He was hospitalized and treated for multiple tears of tendons and ligaments in his shoulder.

"Since my accident, I haven't really played except some flag football here and there," he says, with sadness in his voice.

But in early spring of 2014, it was his absence from the sport that drove Davis to seek out other ways to contribute to the game he loved so much.

"I decided to start coaching because I wasn't playing; so the next best thing to me was to coach. Every time I come out to the field it feels like I'm playing. Even though I'm not the one putting the pads on, I just love being out here on the field," Davis says.

For the love of the game
"I've been playing football since I was eight years-old," says Davis, remembering how his father helped instill in him and his brother a deep appreciation for the game by coaching their childhood football teams. "Almost every man in my family played [football], so it was like one of those things I was destined to do - but then I got hurt."

Davis, who previously played semi-professional football at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, credits a friend for helping him enhance his football skills and eventually helping him reach the semi-professional level.

"A friend of mine saw me playing flag football and asked if I wanted to try out for the Air Force's semi-pro team. At the time I didn't know they had one. I went and tried out, and they wanted me to play so I did," says Davis, watching his team on the field.

His involvement with the team was short-lived, since he only completed in one season before his active duty status moved him to Las Vegas.

He never imagined that one move would completely change his life.

"My accident left me unable to do my job," says Davis. "I wasn't able to wear the proper personal protective equipment to fulfill my primary duties as a CATM [combat arms training and maintenance] instructor. [It] really affected my career as an Airman," says Davis, as the whistle signaling the end of the first quarter sounds.

The constant reminder of how he almost ended more than just his football career is now what pushes Davis to urge others to avoid the same fate.

The road to recovery
Players yell out, "Coach Ryan, Coach Ryan, what's the defensive strategy for the second quarter!"

With a clear passion in his voice, he responds to his team then shifts his mind back to the event that led him to coaching in the first place.

"My advice to others is to always wear the proper PPE. I know they hear it all the time, but it's easy to ignore. Had I been wearing a jacket and not just a vest [that night], I probably would have gotten up just fine -with a couple bruises, but otherwise fine," cautions Davis.

His is a message he says is extremely important, but unfortunately, often overlooked for the sake of time or just plain laziness.

"I would hate to see other people get hurt and have [their injuries] end their careers, whether it's as an Airman or football player, all because they failed to protect themselves," he says.

Although it was difficult for Davis to accept that he could no longer play football himself, his active duty experience has played an important role in helping him develop relationships with his team.

"My athletes know I'm in the Air Force," he says. "They like to call me drill sergeant because they know I mean what I say."

His newfound role as coach has also given him the opportunity to mentor young men outside of just football. 

"Today is homecoming, so we are teaching them gentlemen skills," said Davis. "We teach them to be creative but respectful men in addition to practicing good sportsmanship."

One player admits the advice actually did help him secure a date for the game.

"Coach Ryan and Coach Davis made things funny, so that we could remember how important what they were saying actually is," said a Legacy HS player. "I admit I used those skills to get a girl to be my date and wear my number [to homecoming]."

The influence Davis and his staff have made is evident in the young faces who aim to please as they learn to lead others by example.

"They know that me being in the Air Force comes first, but I do spend a lot of time working with them when I get the chance," explains Davis. "It's important for me to do this job in addition to being active duty because these kids are our future."

Davis credits his father's influence on him as a child for having the endurance to serve his country full-time, overcome his accident, and dedicate himself to those he calls "our future."

"Some of them may end up in the Air Force; some of them may end up going to the National Football League. Either way, I'm really trying to build strong men and strong leaders, so they can do the same when the day comes that I can't do this anymore," concludes Davis.