Two-time collegiate All-American, five-time NFL Pro Bowler and two-time Associated Press-Pro First Team selection Davante Adams will have his #15 jersey retired at Fresno State’s homecoming game on Oct. 15 against San Jose State at Valley Children’s Stadium.
Fresno State announced the retirement of Adams’ jersey on Sept. 15, along with the homecoming theme of “The Bulldog Legacy,” which is meant to commemorate the impact former Bulldogs have had on Fresno State.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ receiver will be the ninth Bulldog football player to have his jersey retired, along with his former Bulldog teammate Derek Carr, who was the 7th Bulldog to have his jersey retired in 2017.
This will not be their first reunion of the year. In March, Adams left the Green Bay Packers to reunite with his Bulldog quarterback Carr for the Las Vegas Raiders.
“We’ve got room for one more man and that one more is you [Adams],” Fresno State Athletics director Terry Tumey told Adams on a phone call.
Other retired jerseys include #9 Jim Sweeney, #12 Trent Dilfer, #14 Vince Petrucci, #21 Dale Messer, #22 Lorenzo Neal and #83 Henry Ellard.
Tumey surprised Davante Adams with the news, according to Fresno State Athletics.
“That’s more of an honor for me than anybody,” Adams said to Tumey.
In the video that Fresno State Football and the Las Vegas Raiders shared, Adams was overwhelmed with emotions to join his teammate and a legacy of Fresno State football.
“Obviously you know how much Fresno State and the whole valley and the whole community of Fresno means to me. So to have something like this be able to happen… I know you guys did [it for] Derek, and I know how much that family means to the Fresno State community, so this is huge for me,” Adams told Tumey.
Tumey told Fresno State Athletics that Adams’ number deserved a tribute to recognize him as one of the most “dynamic playmakers” to be in the football program at Fresno State.
“His accomplishments here at Fresno State, in addition to his ongoing remarkable professional career, are truly commendable, but who he is as a person will continue to positively impact Fresno State for generations to come. We are excited to welcome Davante and his family back to Fresno State and his #15 jersey will be displayed proudly forever inside Valley Children’s Stadium,” Tumey said.
Adams played for Fresno State as a wide receiver from 2012-2013. He left the university as the all-time leader for most receiving yards in a single season, recording 1,718 yards in 2013. He is also fourth all-time with 3,030 receiving yards in his career at Fresno State,
He was the second-round draft pick for the Green Bay Packers in 2014.
Adams appeared in 116 games with 109 starts in the NFL, recording 669 receptions for 8,121 yards and 73 touchdowns. He also helped lead the Packers to six postseason games and left as one of the top wide receivers in the Packers’ franchise history.