Intelligence test trips up Davis
February 28, 1997
An extremely low score on a standardized intelligence test has raised concerns about former Iowa State running back Troy Davis’ chances of making it big in the NFL.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Davis’ score was the second-lowest on the Wonderlic Personnel Test among 322 players tested at an NFL combine Feb. 7-10 in Indianapolis. Former Iowa State lineman Tim Kohn, a 1995 all-conference offensive tackle, scored a 41 on the test, the second- highest score.
Davis scored a six on the 12-minute, 50-question test, the Journal Sentinel reported. Players can retake the test as many times as they want. This was Davis’ first time.
Davis is the only major-college back to twice rush for more than 2,000 yards. He finished second in the Heisman voting this past season.
ISU Head Coach Dan McCarney could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Steve Loney, running back coach, was reluctant to comment. “I cannot comment on that [the test scores] or their accuracy because that information is confidential,” Loney said.
The average score on the test, which is used widely, is 19 correct answers, the equivalent of an IQ of about 100.
“A player needs a baseline mental capacity to play this game,” Carmen Policy, president of the San Francisco 49ers, told the Journal Sentinel. “When you are talking about quarterbacks and offensive linemen, you need even more intelligence, especially in our system. For us, the Wonderlic test is a way of measuring that intelligence.”
Reinard Wilson, defensive end from Florida State, had the lowest score with five correct answers.