The College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies took place this weekend, and much of the focus was on Penn State gridiron patriarch Joe Paterno, Heisman Trophy winner and “Miracle in Miami” architect Doug Flutie and former Notre Dame defensive tackle Chris Zorich.

All three are deserving of the attention and accolades, of course, along with the rest of the class of 2008.

But from a closer-to-home standpoint, none of the hall’s newest members exude more class than Clemson’s Jeff Davis.

Those who bleed Orange and White remember Davis as an All-American linebacker in Death Valley, a man who registered 24 tackles against North Carolina in 1980 and had 14 takedowns in a 22-15 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska to cap off the 1981 season — a campaign that resulted in the Tigers’ first and, so far, only national championship in football.

He was the first Tiger linebacker to be named a consensus All-American, and set a single season record for tackles in 1981 with 175 and is third in school history in career tackles.

But like any student-athlete who understands life goes far beyond the playing field, Davis has done his school and his family proud.

After a solid NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Davis went on to help others, first as a field director for the “Call Me Mister” scholarship program and now as an assistant director of athletics for fund raising at Clemson.

In 2001 he was a recipient of the Use Your Life Award from Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network. In fact, Winfrey herself contributed $100,000 to the “Call Me Mister” program, where Davis remains a consultant.

“I didn’t meet my father until I was 33,” David told Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret for a story that appeared in one of last season’s game programs. “We have a very good relationship now, but when I was growing up it was my mother, my grandmother and my sisters. My mother and grandmother always talked about me being a man, even when I was a young kid.

“They knew I lacked a male influence, so they tried to instill that attitude in me. Being selected for the College Football Hall of Fame and other accolades I have won is a true testament to the caring and direction I received when I was growing up.”

The world is more dangerous than it once was, and now it seems we’re as likely to read about an athlete in the crime reports as we are on the sports pages. But there are still plenty of success stories out there — stories that help restore your faith in humanity just a little and make you realize there are a bunch of good people out there.

Jeff Davis is one of those people.