Recent Draftee DeCor Davis Joins Dallas

The Dallas Jackals are excited to announce DeCor Davis has officially signed with the Jackals! Davis was recently drafted by Dallas Round 1 Pick 10 in the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft and looks forward to expanding his career with the Jackals. 

Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a very small town outside of Pittsburgh, Davis, 23, spent the first half of his life in West Philadelphia. He then moved to Northern Virginia, just outside of DC, where his rugby career started in 6th grade at Warrenton Wolfpack Youth Rugby. 

Once in high school, he played several sports including rugby, basketball, football, wrestling, lacrosse and track. Davis was one of the first members of the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy. After suffering an ankle injury that took playing collegiate football off the table, he chose to focus on rugby and wrestling in which he qualified to regionals. Davis was named Virginia Rugby All-Star starter from ‘12-’16 going undefeated 3 of 4 years. Before his senior year of HS, he moved to play for Prince William Youth RC winning the 7s State Championship in Summer ‘16. 

Davis then attended Coastal Carolina University earning the first rugby scholarship in school history. He chose to transfer to Queens University of Charlotte to challenge himself academically and on the pitch. His team at Queens won the D2 National Championship in 2019 after finishing 4th in their 2018 campaign. Also while at Queens, Davis was awarded top 150 8-man in 18’ and 19’. 

Davis’ squad at Queens University is featured in the recent movie SCRUM, documenting Head Coach Frank McKinney’s reign as the first African American collegiate head coach. 

He says his greatest achievement is graduating college because that was his late grandfather’s only wish. From his time at Virginia State Regional Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts his junior year of HS, DeCor is also a very skilled singer and plays piano.

“I’m most excited to learn from everyone,” Davis said. “Whether that be on the field from my teammates and coaching staff or from the front office; I want to really ingratiate myself into the Dallas-Fort Worth area and build a culture of hard work, grit, determination and family.”

Davis went on to say he looks forward to pushing his limits to the highest level and is ready to hit the ground running. When asked about the move to Texas, “ I have never been to Texas… but have been told that the people of Dallas are great, love their sports and they make some mean barbecue so I am coming with an empty stomach and high expectations!”

GM Elaine Vassie says, “DeCor brings an unparalleled raw power & physicality underpinned with a drive for continued self development. His outlook on the value of sport and rugby for children in the community and desire to have a positive impact on this makes him a truly exciting addition to our Jackals family.”

Welcome to the Pack DeCor!

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About Dallas Jackals —

The Dallas Jackals are a professional rugby team of Major League Rugby (MLR), the highest level of rugby competition in North America. The Jackals were named as an expansion team in 2020 and will play their inaugural season in 2022. The team’s central mission is to develop domestic talent to a world-class level of play and professionalism while strengthening the high- performance pathway in DFW by supporting the local clubs. Through proactive Community Outreach, the Jackals will exemplify and spread the passion of rugby by inspiring tradition, respect, family, and character on and off the pitch.

About MLR —

Major League Rugby is a professional sports league entering its fifth season and represents the highest level of rugby competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018, to 13 teams in 2022, featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada. Matches are televised on CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports 2, and ESPN+, among other national and local market platforms. All matches are available on Facebook Live for international fans. MLR prides itself in fostering intense and high-stakes competition, while bringing together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. For more information about MLR, visit MajorLeague.Rugby.