Former Patriots wide receiver David Givens knows the thrill of a Super Bowl touchdown, but his fingers these days are wrapped around pencils and paintbrushes.
After a knee injury ended his football career two years ago, Givens, 29, threw his drive and passion into art. Two of his graphite drawings are on display at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset.
While Givens has donated his work for charity auctions, this is the first time it has hung in an art gallery.
“I’m really excited to see what the possibilities are,” he said.
Both graphite drawings are portrait tributes to sports legends. One captures longtime Celtics coach and president Red Auerbach and center Bill Russell, and the other depicts football coaches Knute Rockne, Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick.
“They’re quite good,” said Sarah Hannan, executive director of the South Shore Art Center.
The drawings complement the art center’s juried exhibit, “Score!” which features sports images in painting, collage, photography, sculpture and glass. On view through March 14, the works keep alive memories of the Olympics and anticipation of opening day at Fenway Park in Boston and summer at Nantasket Beach in Hull.
Diane Kennedy, assistant director of the South Shore Art Center, thinks Givens is inspirational.
“You can be as talented as he was and then one day it’s over,” said Kennedy, a Patriots fan. “He has a great message. Sports doesn’t always get you through life. When you have an interest in art, it’s a gift. Artistic expression can help you recuperate and move along.”
Givens, who grew up in Houston and was football captain at Notre Dame, was drafted by the Patriots in 2002 and was became one of the teams top receivers. He scored a touchdown in each of New England’s Super Bowl victories in 2004 and 2005.
He signed a five-year, $24 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2006, lured by the financial benefits and the chance to play with the team he rooted for when it was known as the Houston Oilers.
The honeymoon ended abruptly in the first season, when he tore a knee ligament and then missed the entire 2007 season, after which the Titans let him go.
Givens sued the Titans, claiming that the team failed to inform him of a lesion on his femur and allowed him to play. He believes the knee injury would not have occurred if the lesion had been repaired, instead of fracturing. Last month, a federal judge threw out the $25 million lawsuit.
