Ernie Davis
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AFL draft: | 1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 |
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Ernest R. Davis (December 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963) was an American
Early life
Davis was born in
College career
Davis played football for coach
A different account of the banquet is given by John Brown. He was Davis' teammate at Syracuse and on the Cleveland Browns, his roommate and a close friend. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, all the players from the game attended the banquet. Brown recalls that the teams sat on opposite sides of the room. After everyone ate and the trophies were handed out, the three black Syracuse players, Brown, Davis and Art Baker were asked to leave and were taken to another party in Dallas by local NAACP representatives. 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 the Chronicle asked Brown whether the film The Express is a truthful portrayal of his friend, Brown said " ... in short, no."[10]
Davis became the first black athlete to be awarded the
Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field, reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship and citizenship. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. It's a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. I salute you.[8]
During his time at Syracuse, Davis wore the same number, 44, as had legendary
While attending Syracuse, Davis was a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, a nationally recognized Jewish fraternity. Davis was the first African-American to become part of the organization not only at the Syracuse chapter, but for the national fraternity as a whole.[13] He was also a candidate in the university's Army ROTC program and was commissioned as a second lieutenant following graduation.[14]
Davis was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
Davis was a member of
Professional football career
Davis was the
He was also drafted two days earlier by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League.[17]
Redskins founder and owner George Preston Marshall was an avowed racist who kept the Redskins entirely white long after the other teams had integrated.[18] 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). The signing only came when Interior Secretary Stewart Udall issued an ultimatum to Marshall: sign a black player by the start of the 1962 season, or he would revoke the Redskins' 30-year lease on D.C. Stadium (now Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium).[15] The stadium was a city-owned facility, and the Washington city government has long been legally reckoned as a branch of the federal government (given that the Constitution gives Congress ultimate authority over the capital). Marshall could not bring himself to draft a black player, so he left the decision to general manager and head coach Bill McPeak, who picked Davis. Davis refused to play for the Redskins and demanded a trade.[19] A deal with Cleveland was engineered by Browns coach Paul Brown without the knowledge of the owner Art Modell. This had been standard operating procedure with the Browns from their inception in 1946; Brown served as his own general manager, and had enjoyed a free hand in football matters.[20][21] The Redskins traded the rights to Davis to the Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell and first-round draft pick Leroy Jackson. Davis chose to go to the Cleveland Browns where his classmate John Brown would be his roommate and Jim Brown, whom he admired, was already playing.
Davis signed a three-year,
The Browns' dream of pairing Davis with Jim Brown took a tragic turn when Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. 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. Although Davis' leukemia was in remission at the time, Brown felt letting him play would hurt team morale. This contributed to Modell's decision to replace Brown before the 1963 season.[citation needed]
Davis was allowed to practice on the field without physical contact and helped Brown draw up game plans but he never played a meaningful down. His only appearance at Cleveland Stadium came at a pre-season game on August 18,[2] in which he ran onto the field as a spotlight followed him. Following his death, the Browns retired his number 45 jersey.[24]
Death
While preparing to play in the
Both houses of the United States Congress eulogized Davis, and a wake was held at The Neighborhood House in Elmira, New York, where more than 10,000 mourners paid their respects. During the funeral, a message was received from President Kennedy, and it was read aloud to all of the people attending the service. Davis is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira. His commemorative statue now stands in front of the school named in his honor, Ernie Davis Academy. 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. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in the fall of 1979. In the southern-tier region of New York, the best high-school football players, in their final year of eligibility, are invited to play in the Ernie Davis Classic. The game is traditionally played Thanksgiving Day, or the night before Thanksgiving.
The Express
A
In 2011, rival schools
References
- ^ a b Carter, Bob (1999). "Davis won Heisman, respect". ESPN Classic. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "Browns' Davis succumbs in battle with leukemia". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. May 19, 1963. p. 1, sec.3.
- ^ a b c "Ernie Davis loses battle with leukemia". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. May 18, 1963. p. 1B.
- ^
- ^ a b "Blood disorder expected to keep Davis on sidelines". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. August 2, 1962. p. 1D.
- ^ "Illness may delay Davis' NFL debut". Chicago Tribune. August 2, 1962. p. 3, part 6.
- ^ 'syracuse.com' Mother of Ernie Davis, Marie Fleming, has passed away in Elmira; her funeral is Saturday, May 8, 2008 Archived April 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Gallagher, Robert C. Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, the Story of a Heisman Trophy Winner (Bartleby Press, 1999)
- ^ "Ernie Davis (1979) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
- ^ Barron, David, "Film The Express stretches the truth", Houston Chronicle, October 9, 2008
- ISBN 978-0-345-51086-0. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "News – Around the NFL". NFL.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Centennial Spotlight", Sigma Alpha Mu Foundation website Archived 2009-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stories of Service: Ernie Davis '62 and Jared Lyon G'13". SU News. November 24, 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Washington Picks 1st Negro on Team". Petaluma Argus-Courier. AP. 4 December 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "NFL.com Draft 2018 – NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year". NFL.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0
- ^ "Ernie Davis wants no part of football racial dispute". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 7, 1961. p. 3D.
- ^ "A 'Showdown' That Changed Football's Racial History". NPR.org. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "WashingtonPost.com: The Redskins Book: Page 17". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ISBN 9781592135448. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
- ^ "Davis signs with 16 cents in pocket". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 29, 1961. p. 3B.
- ^ a b c Davis/ernie14.html Neuman, Roger, "Pro contract was rookie record", Elmira Star-Gazette, December 8, 2001[permanent dead link]
- ^ King, Steve, "A tragic off season", Official Website of the Cleveland Browns, December 19, 2006 Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Illness hits Ernie Davis of All-Stars". Chicago Tribune. July 31, 1962. p. 1, part 3.
- ^ "The Express' to Film Scenes on Campus Next Week; Extras Needed", SUAthletics.com Archived 2008-01-07 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- A Halo For A Helmet: The Whole Story Of Ernie Davis by K. Coralee Burch
- The Express: The Ernie Davis Story by Robert 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 Historical Perspective by Bob Hill, 1997
- Always Ernie by Laura Milazzo, 2003
External links
- Ernie Davis at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Ernie Davis at Heisman.com
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com