SDSU Alumnus Named Honorary Captain for Super Bowl

Former San Diego State University men’s basketball player Trimaine Davis has been named one of three honorary captains for Super Bowl LV and will participate in the pre-game coin toss on Sunday, Feb. 7, in Tampa, Florida, National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.

Davis played four seasons with the Aztecs (2003-06) under legendary head coach Steve Fisher and served as a team captain on the 2005-06 squad that posted a 24-9 overall record and captured the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles.

Davis, who currently works as the retention coordinator for the VIP Scholars program at University of California, Los Angeles, will be joined on the field at Raymond James Stadium by nurse manager Suzie Dornier of Tampa, Florida, and Marine Corps veteran James Martin of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

All three individuals were chosen for their work in the community.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Davis prioritized the need to ensure both his students and members of their households had devices and internet access to help bridge the digital divide. Not only did Davis secure hotspots, laptop computers and tablets for his students, but he also hosted tech workshops for families to learn how to make use of the devices.

"Throughout his career, Trimaine has prioritized the academic success of Black students through his work with the CSU Northridge Black Male Initiative, San Diego State's Student African American Brotherhood, Afrikan Student Union and more," the NFL stated in a press release.

Davis was selected by Angela LaChica, an SDSU alumna and president and CEO of LaChica Sports, Inc., a comprehensive athletic management firm, along with former NFL star wide receiver Doug Baldwin, a two-time Super Bowl participant who is a board member of the Players Coalition, which advocates criminal justice and education reform.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity just to showcase that all three of us, myself, James and Suzie, share this common bond of service and stewardship," Davis said. "The fact that we're able to highlight the importance of this, that it comes from everyday folk who are in the position to do this work to inspire others, I think is incredible, and I'm so honored to have that opportunity."

For his career, Davis played in 100 games with 14 starts at SDSU, totaling 325 points and 171 rebounds while shooting 59.9 percent from the field. He won two conference titles with the Aztecs and was a member of the 2003 NIT team that claimed the school's first Division I postseason victory, as well as the 2006 squad that advanced to the NCAA tournament. Davis earned a degree in African American Studies in spring 2006.

"(This honor) is tremendously well-deserved, and all of us know there are others out there who I'm sure are also deserving," Fisher said. "But (Trimaine) is now on a platform where we'll be talking about him in this particular episode for a long time to come, and I think this will help catapult him to do greater things for others."

Prior to the on-field recognition of the honorary captains, presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman will recite an original poem about these three honorary captains in appreciation of their tremendous impact during an unprecedented year. The reading of the poem will air nationally on television and be featured in-stadium.