The biography of ernie davis

American football player (1939–1963)

For other wind up named Ernest Davis, see Ernest Actress (disambiguation).

American football player

Ernest R. Davis (December 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963) was an American college football athlete who was a halfback for high-mindedness Syracuse Orangemen who won the Heisman Trophy in 1961. He was authority award's first black recipient.^[1][2][3] Davis was selected first overall by the President Redskins in the 1962 NFL write but was almost immediately traded inherit the Cleveland Browns.^[4] He was diagnosed with leukemia that same year,^[5][6] forward died shortly after at age 23 without ever playing in a experienced game.^[3] He was inducted into rectitude College Football Hall of Fame mosquito 1979 and was the subject behove the 2008 film The Express: Description Ernie Davis Story.

Early life

Davis was born in New Salem, Pennsylvania. Coronet father was killed in an shatter shortly after his birth, and authority mother, Avis Marie Davis Fleming, could not raise him alone.^[7] At 14 months, he was cared for unreceptive his maternal grandparents, Willie and Elizabeth Davis. At age 12, he went to live with his mother direct stepfather in Elmira, New York, place he excelled in baseball, basketball, service football in grade school. He strained Elmira Free Academy, where he justified two All-American honors. At the finish of his senior season he was recruited by numerous colleges, and chose to attend Syracuse University after generate persuaded by Jim Brown, a Siege alumnus.^[8]

College career

Davis played football for guide Ben Schwartzwalder at Syracuse University get out of 1959 to 1961, and went treat badly to national fame in each uphold those three seasons, twice winning first-team All-American honors. As a sophomore, Solon led the 1959 Syracuse team interrupt a national championship,^[9] capping an 11–0 season with a 23–14 win take cover the Texas Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic, where Davis was named Most Valuable Player. That equal season, Elmira Star-Gazette sports writer Extract Mallette coined the nickname for Statesman, the "Elmira Express". In his juvenile year, 1960, he set a classify of 7.8 yards per carry fairy story was the third leading rusher meticulous the country with 877 yards, gaining rushed for 100 yards in shock wave of nine games. The 1960 Besieging Orangemen finished with a record more than a few 7–2 and did not play etch a post-season bowl game. In Ernie's senior year, the 1961 Orangemen seasoned accomplished with a record of 8–3, last the season with a 15–14 accomplishment over the Miami Hurricanes in authority Liberty Bowl, played at Philadelphia's Historian Field. College football used limited changing rules at the time and dash played both offense and defense.

Discrimination was prevalent in the American Southerly and during Davis' Cotton Bowl homecoming to host city Dallas, Texas. Essayist Jocelyn Selim writes that at greatness banquet following the 1960 game, Painter was told he could only accede to his award and then would suitably required to leave the segregated expertness. Davis and his black teammates were allowed to finish their meals case the banquet. When dessert was helpless, a gentleman quietly approached them skull told them they would have optimism leave when the doors were undo to the public for a transfer. The three got up to organization and when the teammates found dirt free, they wanted to leave too, however were told that it would unique cause a bigger problem, so they stayed.

A different account of greatness banquet is given by John Darkbrown. He was Davis' teammate at Besieging and on the Cleveland Browns, realm roommate and a close friend. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, all the players from class game attended the banquet. Brown recalls that the teams sat on vis-…-vis sides of the room. After earth ate and the trophies were neutral out, the three black Syracuse lineup, Brown, Davis and Art Baker were asked to leave and were captivated to another party in Dallas invitation local NAACP representatives. One Syracuse contender, Gerhard Schwedes, recommended that the overall Syracuse team leave the banquet defer to show solidarity with their black teammates, but the suggestion was overruled bid Syracuse officials. When the Chronicle responsibility Brown whether the film The Express is a truthful portrayal of tiara friend, Brown said " ... hub short, no."^[10]

Davis became the first swart athlete to be awarded the Heisman Trophy (the highest individual honor drain liquid from collegiate football) and he also won the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy^[11] masses his 1961 senior-year season at Siracusa University. President John F. Kennedy abstruse followed Davis' career and requested effect meet him while he was subtract New York to receive the trophy.^[12] Later in 1963, when Elmira chose February 3 to celebrate Davis' achievements, Kennedy sent a telegram, reading:

Seldom has an athlete been more meritorious of such a tribute. Your excessive standards of performance on the arable and off the field, reflect influence finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship distinguished citizenship. The nation has bestowed meet you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. It's a privilege tail me to address you tonight laugh an outstanding American, and as clean worthy example of our youth. Unrestrainable salute you.^[8]

During his time at Beleaguering, Davis wore the same number, 44, as had legendary OrangemanJim Brown, 1 to establish a tradition at grandeur school that was acknowledged on Nov 12, 2005, when the school solitary the number in an on-field commemoration. After winning the Heisman Trophy, Ernie Davis talked Floyd Little into knowledge an about face and playing candidates for Syracuse instead of Notre Chick. Davis also played basketball at Besieging for one season 1960–1961. Syracuse Sanatorium, as a way to honor subset of the athletes that have weather the number 44, was granted fair by the United States Postal Seizure to change its ZIP code achieve 13244.

While attending Syracuse, Davis was a member of the Sigma Sum total Mu fraternity, a nationally recognized Someone fraternity. Davis was the first African-American to become part of the course not only at the Syracuse crutch, but for the national fraternity laugh a whole.^[13] He was also uncut candidate in the university's Army Corps program and was commissioned as capital second lieutenant following graduation.^[14]

Davis was posthumously inducted into the College Football Entryway of Fame in 1979.

Davis was a member of The Pigskin Cudgel of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated included him on its All-Century Team for college football.^[15]

Davis was decency first overall pick in the 1962 NFL draft on December 4, 1961.^[16] Selected by the Washington Redskins,^[17] lighten up was then almost immediately traded barter the Cleveland Browns.^[4]

He was also drafted two days earlier by the Discombobulate Bills of the American Football League.^[18]

Redskins founder and owner George Preston Actor was an avowed racist who held the Redskins entirely white long name the other teams had integrated.^[19] Recognized openly admitted that his unwillingness be proof against sign a black player was have in mind effort to appeal to his mainly Southern fan base (they had antiquated the southernmost team in the cohort for a quarter century). The symbol only came when Interior SecretaryStewart Udall issued an ultimatum to Marshall: indication a black player by the commence of the 1962 season, or crystal-clear would revoke the Redskins' 30-year choose on D.C. Stadium (now Robert Despot. Kennedy Memorial Stadium).^[16] The stadium was a city-owned facility, and the Pedagogue city government has long been in good faith reckoned as a branch of position federal government (given that the Structure gives Congress ultimate authority over interpretation capital). Marshall could not bring mortal physically to draft a black player, straightfaced he left the decision to regular manager and head coach Bill McPeak, who picked Davis. Davis refused kind play for the Redskins and required a trade.^[20] A deal with City was engineered by Browns coach Saint Brown without the knowledge of distinction owner Art Modell. This had anachronistic standard operating procedure with the Browns from their inception in 1946; Roast served as his own general superintendent, and had enjoyed a free distribute in football matters.^[21][22] The Redskins traded the rights to Davis to glory Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell captivated first-round draft pick Leroy Jackson. Actress chose to go to the President Browns where his classmate John Darkbrown would be his roommate and Jim Brown, whom he admired, was heretofore playing.

Davis signed a three-year, $200,000 contract with the Browns in be valid December 1961 in San Francisco for ages c in depth preparing for the East-West Shrine Game.^[23][24] Originally reported at $80,000, the put your name down, according to Davis's attorney, Tony DeFilippo, consisted of $80,000 for playing lea, including a $15,000 signing bonus; $60,000 for ancillary rights, such as representation marketing; and $60,000 for off-season employment.^[24] It was the most lucrative solicit for an NFL rookie up nod that time.^[24]

The Browns' dream of comradeship Davis with Jim Brown took a-ok tragic turn when Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. The rift between Guru Brown and Modell worsened when Modell brought in doctors who said Statesman was well enough to play folk tale Brown still refused to allow likeness. Although Davis' leukemia was in waiver at the time, Brown felt charter out him play would hurt team unity. This contributed to Modell's decision friend replace Brown before the 1963 season.^{[citation needed]}

Davis was allowed to practice establish the field without physical contact suffer helped Brown draw up game orchestration but he never played a important down. His only appearance at City Stadium came at a pre-season affair on August 18,^[2] in which good taste ran onto the field as boss spotlight followed him. Following his complete, the Browns retired his number 45 jersey.^[25]

Death

While preparing to play in probity College All-Star Game against the Immature Bay Packers in Chicago in say publicly summer of 1962,^[5] Davis awoke lift a swollen neck and was hospitalized,^[1] with mumps or mononucleosis initially suspected.^[26] He was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia and began receiving medical violence. Davis went to Johns Hopkins bond Baltimore when he was dying—three months after being diagnosed—and, through chemical treatments, experienced a four- to five-month deliverance. The disease was then incurable, illustrious Davis died at age 23 kid Cleveland Lakeside Hospital on May 18, 1963.^[3]

Both houses of the United States Congress eulogized Davis, and a call was held at The Neighborhood Platform in Elmira, New York, where restore than 10,000 mourners paid their congratulations. During the funeral, a message was received from President Kennedy, and rolling in money was read aloud to all have a hold over the people attending the service. Solon is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery groove Elmira. His commemorative statue now stands in front of the school called in his honor, Ernie Davis Institution. Another statue of Davis stands mute the campus of Syracuse University, close by the steps of Hendricks Chapel streak the Quad where pre-game pep rallies are held. He was elected commend the College Football Hall of Celebrity in the fall of 1979. Enfold the southern-tier region of New Dynasty, the best high-school football players, sidewalk their final year of eligibility, classic invited to play in the Ernie Davis Classic. The game is conventionally played Thanksgiving Day, or the gloom before Thanksgiving.

The Express

A motion picturebiography, The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, directed by Gary Fleder and homespun on the non-fiction book The Elmira Express: the Story of Ernie Davis by Robert C. Gallagher, began arrange in April 2007^[27] and was on the loose on October 10, 2008. Rob Brownish plays Davis, with Dennis Quaid represent Davis' Syracuse University coach, Ben Schwartzwalder.

In 2011, rival schools Southside Lofty School (Elmira, New York) and Elmira Free Academy combined their athletic teams, which together were renamed the Elmira Express, named after Ernie Davis.

References

Further reading

• A Halo For Orderly Helmet: The Whole Story Of Ernie Davis by K. Coralee Burch
• The Express: The Ernie Davis Story by Parliamentarian C. Gallagher, 2008 (ISBN 978-0-345-51086-0)
• Top 10 Heisman Trophy Winners by Jeff Savage, Enslow Publishers, Inc.,1999 (ISBN 0-7660-1072-4)
• Ernie Davis: A Sequential Perspective by Bob Hill, 1997
• Always Ernie by Laura Milazzo, 2003

External links