Game Sports Realm

Davone Bess was one of the biggest draft steals in recent memory.  For a player of his skill to go completely undrafted is a shock.  He must have been relieved when the Miami Dolphins gave him the phone call, but I bet Miami is thanking Davone right now.

Davone Atrayo Bess had to endure a long and difficult road to achieve success at the NFL level.  Born in Hayward, CA and raised mostly by a single mother, Bess was the first person in his family to attend college and the first person on his dad's side to attend high school.  As Davone recalls, "My mom grew up pretty much a single parent. She had me at the age of 15 and she had my brother at 17. My dad pretty much wasn't there. If anyone was there it was my brother's dad, but not really because he was in a big time drug dealer. He was in and out of jail himself and going back and forth so he wasn't a reliable source."

Bess attended Skyline High School in Oakland, California and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.  In football, he was a first team All-City wide receiver as a junior. As a senior, he led his team to the League Championship and was a second team All-City quarterback. Davone Bess graduated from Skyline High School in 2003.

Davone's determination in life shows in his gameplay

Things began to look up for Davone, but as fate would have it, Bess would have to strive even more. Bess lost his scholarship to Oregon State when he was sentenced to 15 months in a juvenile facility after allowing a friend to put stolen items in his car.

Courtesy of Armando Salguero's blog in the Miami Herald,  Davone Bess thinks back to that fateful day, "I graduated high school and one day I went to pick some friends up, but they ended up having some stolen merchandise with them. I picked them up. We get pulled over. And they charged me with everything because I was the driver. They knew I had nothing to do with it. But because of the fact I was an accessory, I did 15 months in a juvenile detention facility. Those guys wanted to testify on my behalf and tell them I had nothing to do with it. I was getting ready to go off to college and do all these positive things, but their attorneys wouldn't allow them to do that because that would make them look bad."

"I was going to Oregon State. I had signed a sports scholarship to go to Oregon State already. I had just graduated high school. It hurt. It hurt big time. So it was time for Plan B for me. I knew I was going to get out. I had all these positive things going for me, but the positive things ended up screwing me because [the judge] felt that I knew better than to put myself in that situation."

Instead of feeling sorry for himself,  Bess joined the 7 on 7 flag football team created by the facility.  It was during this time that Bess caught the eye of a Hawaii football recruiter.

"We were playing 7 on 7 and one of June Jones' (Hawaii's head coach at the time)  assistants ended up seeing me. This was the summer of '04 and from that summer throughout the fall I was talking to [the University of] Hawaii. I got out in September. And then they brought me out on a trip in October and offered me a scholarship. I accepted, and in January 2005, I enrolled at Hawaii."

Davone Bess joined Hawaii in 2005 and quickly gained a starting spot at wide receiver.  As a freshman, Bess caught 89 passes for 1,124 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.  Selected WAC first team and WAC Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, caught 96 passes for 1,220 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.  Named WAC first team. In his junior year, he finished with 108 catches for 1266 yards with 12 TDs.

Davone Bess at Hawaii

During his time at Hawaii, Bess was named to the Associated Press' 2007 All-America third team; the Sporting News, Football Writers Association of America, and Rivals.com's 2005 Freshman All-American team; and was named to the All-WAC first team in 2005, 2006, and 2007.  Davone Bess and his excellent quickness, hands, route-running and game breaking ability was a perfect fit for Hawaii's run and shoot offense.

Destiny had one more mountain for Bess to conquer.  Despite his college success, the 2008 NFL draft came and went and he found himself undrafted.

"I didn't get drafted. And it was frustrating. But I didn't give up. I knew whatever team I was going to, I was going to give my all and give my best. I set specific goals for myself when Miami signed me. They called me in the fifth round and I thought that was going to be my round. But they said they didn't have any other picks and had to use their picks on, like, a lineman or a running back or something. So I was, like, OK. Then right after the draft my phone was ringing off the hook. Like 12 teams called me after the draft but I had actually verbally committed to coming to Miami during the seventh round. So I ended up saying, 'I'm just going to go to Miami.' I did know the situation and I felt this was the best spot for me to come in and contribute."

And if Davone Bess wasn't likeable enough, look no further.  "They gave me a $7,000 signing bonus and my agent said there were a couple of teams willing to give me up around $9,000 or $10,000. But that didn't matter. I knew this was the best opportunity and best fit for me. I think my second preseason game, against Jacksonville, they bumped me up and I actually started as the third receiver. And I was like, 'OK,' and got a little more confidence. And then the next game, even more. It was the last preseason when I had my best game, even on special teams. And that let me know the coaches were serious. And Week 1, here it is and I'm the No. 3 receiver and starting in the three wide receiver package. And my confidence grew from there."

"So never listen to anybody that says you can't do something. Because through all those times, throughout that whole story I just told you, I always had people in my ear or talking behind my back saying I wasn't going to make it. 'He ain't going to do this, he's just going to be another statistic on the streets. He ain't this, he ain't that. I'm happy he went to jail.' I just kept my eyes on the prize. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to accomplish. And I took that motivation and kept it going. So don't let anybody tell you you can't do anything."

Davone Bess has his sight on becoming the best WR he can be.  His work ethic and dedication are echoed by fellow teammates and coaches.  He brings another dimension to Miami's wideout core, and after posting  54 receptions for 554 yds. and a TD in his rookie year,  Bess will continue to blossom into a star for the Miami Dolphins.