Published in The Herald from Sep. 22 to Sep. 24, 2020. "My first meeting with him I said I was going to tell him the truth. John Brown laughs at young men today when they tell him they wouldn't have been as accommodating as Davis or a lot of other black people in the 1950s and '60s when faced with racial intolerance and hatred. 1937: Frank | He said, 'I'm not Ernie Davis.' Selected by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in December 1961, he was then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns and issued number 45. It is a dramatized story, but it captures the essence of a man who was one of the greatest college football players of his time and the first Negro -- his societal designation in that era -- to win the Heisman Trophy, college football's greatest prize.
Following his death, the Browns retired his number 45 jersey. Ten months later, on May 18, 1963, Ernie Davis died of leukemia at 23 as football fans across the nation mourned. While preparing to play in the College All-Star Game against the Green Bay Packers in Chicago in the summer of 1962, Davis awoke with a swollen neck and was hospitalized, with mumps or mononucleosis initially suspected. "He found a way through it all. The coach wasn't identifying what's going on in his life outside of football, so he had to know when to step up and when not to step up. At age 12, he went to live with his mother and stepfather in Elmira, New York, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football in grade school. People tried to make him into a character they wanted him to be, but it wasn't in his personality. The rift between Coach Brown and Modell worsened when Modell brought in doctors who said Davis was well enough to play and Brown still refused to allow it.
It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Another statue of Davis stands on the campus of Syracuse University, near the steps of Hendricks Chapel and the Quad where pre-game pep rallies are held. 1943: Bertelli | 1953: Lattner | I salute you.[7]. He became active in youth football, basketball and baseball and was the best player in every sport. 1942: Sinkwich | White. Davis and his black teammates were allowed to finish their meals at the banquet.
"I wasn't privy to the dynamics (involving) Mr. Modell and coach Paul Brown, but here was a guy who reached the optimum. 1990: Detmer | Davis went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore when he was dying, three months after being diagnosed and through chemical treatments experienced a four to five month remission. 1994: Salaam | While he never played in his freshman year, he was known to be quite thrilling to watch in practice sessions. One Syracuse player, Gerhard Schwedes, recommended that the whole Syracuse team leave the banquet to show solidarity with their black teammates, but the suggestion was overruled by Syracuse officials. When he was 12, his mother, then re-married, re-claimed Ernie and moved him to Elmira, N.Y. 1967: Beban |
"I've lived these things, the Ernie Davis story," Brown said in a recent interview. Mr. Davis may be viewed from 9 am-1 pm, Thursday at Robinson Funeral Home. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, all the players from the game attended the banquet. Davis rushed for 2,386 yards and scored 220 points for the Orangemen. The disease was incurable and Davis died at age 23 at Cleveland Lakeside Hospital on May 18, 1963.[3].
The funeral service will be private. [3] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979, and was the subject of the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher. © 2020 NFL Enterprises LLC. Everybody loved him. Davis was born in New Salem, Pennsylvania. He was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia and began receiving medical treatment. Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. 1993: Ward | It was in the East, wouldn't be too far from home, and he could carry on this legacy.
1996: Wuerffel | 2007: Tebow | 1968: Simpson | This leukemia was something that his will, diligence and trust in doctors -- and Modell -- could be overcome, too. 1991: Howard | 1962: Baker | He handled things without ever selling out. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements.
1948: D. Walker | Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls, National Football League first overall draft picks, Players of American football from Pennsylvania, Syracuse Orange #44 (along with Jim Brown & Floyd Little), NCAA Division I-A national football championship, 'syracuse.com' Mother of Ernie Davis, Marie Fleming, has passed away in Elmira; her funeral is Saturday, May 8, 2008.
Davis was sluggish and slow. Davis refused to play for the Redskins and demanded a trade. Davis was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Widely recruited to play running back in collegiate football, he chose I said, 'If you like Caucasian women, it's not the place for you.' 1961: E. Davis | A good dude. "Nothing would have equaled Ernie Davis and Jim Brown," former Browns owner Art Modell said. He attended Elmira Free Academy, where he earned two All-American honors. 1982: H. Walker | Though the Bucs might well be the best in the NFC, it's difficult not to think they're benefitting greatly from the company they keep in the conference, Jeffri Chadiha writes. [16][17] The Redskins traded the rights to Davis to the Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell and first-round draft pick Leroy Jackson. Davis eventually went to Syracuse University for college, and played for the team from 1959 to 1961. Kennedy was such a fan, he asked for a meeting with Davis. 1971: Sullivan |
His humility drew acceptance by even some of the more intolerant players and coaches, who often had no choice but to admire and respect his athletic greatness and competitive nature, if nothing else. To plant a tree in memory of Ernie Davis, please visit. In joining the Browns, the fleet, 6-foot-2, 210-pound Davis was to be paired with the legendary Jim Brown. 1954: Ameche | Davis was diagnosed with a highly toxic form of leukemia shortly after being drafted out of Syracuse University, where he starred at halfback and defensive back. His glands swelled, and doctors suspected mumps. 1998: Williams | Receive email updates when there are changes to this story. He began receiving medical treatment and was hopeful of still playing with the Browns.
One of his most significant victories during this time was a 23–14 win against the Texas Longhorns, in the Cotton Bowl Classic of 1960. [20], While preparing to play in the College All-Star Game against the Green Bay Packers in Chicago in the summer of 1962,[4] Davis awoke with a swollen neck and was hospitalized,[1] with mumps or mononucleosis initially suspected. 1944: Horvath | "He was the star, but he was black. 1949: Hart | [14] He openly admitted that his unwillingness to sign a black player was an effort to appeal to his mostly Southern fan base (they had been the southernmost team in the league for a quarter century).
Black. 1972: Rodgers |
Born in New Salem, Pennsylvania on December 14, 1939, Davis … 1964: Huarte | Newton, 1935: Berwanger | 1955: Cassady | The person said, 'Well, you should be glad you're not Ernie Davis because Ernie Davis is dying.'
Here he won the All-American honors twice, becoming a celebrity amongst the crowd of fans, peers and the like. "Ernie Davis didn't die at a young age," said John Brown, his former Syracuse and Browns teammate and best friend. "The Express," a film chronicling Davis' brief but impactful life, re-introduces Davis to the world this week.
1956: Hornung | 1946: G. Davis |
There was Malcolm (X), Elijah (Muhammad), Huey (Newton) and Stokely (Carmichael), Angela (Davis), J. Edgar Hoover, Richard Nixon, John Kennedy.
", Against a team that it should have beat by 20, the Bucs hung to a 25-23 victory over New York. Davis found discrimination prevalent in the American South during his Cotton Bowl visit to host city Dallas, Texas. However, he died in Cleveland Lakeside Hospital in May 1963. 1995: George |
Ernie Davis, 80, a resident of Bradenton, Florida and retired to London, Kentucky, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, February 27, 2020. 2001: Crouch | Become the owner of this obituary to manage the guestbook, edit the notice, and more. Please allow 24 hours for your entry to be reviewed for appropriate content. 1957: Crow | It's a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. Davis was the number-one pick in the 1962 NFL Draft on December 4, 1961. After surpassing most of Jim Brown's rushing records, Davis was named the Heisman Trophy winner in 1961. 1973: Cappelletti | 45, Ernie Davis,' " Modell said. American Football Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community.
He'd get through it, just like he had when he overcame a once-ridiculed stammer. His athletic ability, perseverance and hard work came in to the limelight after becoming the first African American to have been awarded the Heisman Trophy. Those doctors told Brown that Davis would be in harm's way if he played. 1984: Flutie | It was like there was a hush as he walked out to the middle of the field. Ernie Davis was the number-one pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, becoming the first African American football player to be taken first overall. The stories have grown more hushed over time, as some of those who knew him have died or grown to where their recollection has become somewhat of a faint memory. 1951: Kazmaier | The young man had been silent the whole time Brown told his tales, even when he broke down in tears. Then he looked at the person and said, 'I am Ernie Davis, and I'm not dying.'".