The Elmira Express

Saturday was a day filled with football for us. We started the day by heading to Berea to watch our little cousin, Brian’s, football game. We then came home and watched the Kansas Jayhawks come back and win a great game against Iowa State. Then at night we had date night and went to watch the sneak preview of “The Express: The Ernie Davis Story” in Crocker Park. I had never heard of Ernie Davis before seeing all the actors from the movie at the Brown’s game earlier this year. Here’s a little information about who Ernie Davis was and his accomplishments:

Davis won Heisman, respect by Bob Carter
The honors came early and often, from the time he started with organized sports. Ernie Davis succeeded at every venue, a three-sport standout in high school, a two-time All-American halfback at Syracuse.

	Davis rushed for 2,386 yards and scored 220 points for the Orangemen.

He led Elmira (N.Y.) Free Academy to a 52-game winning streak in basketball and as a Syracuse sophomore helped the Orangemen gain their only national football championship. As a senior in 1961, he became the first African-American to receive the Heisman Trophy and was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

And then, stunningly, he was gone. Struck down by leukemia, Davis never realized his dream of playing in the NFL.

In March 1963, while in remission, Davis wrote an article for The Saturday Evening Post in which he said, “Some people say I am unlucky. I don’t believe it. And I don’t want to sound as if I am particularly brave or unusual. Sometimes I still get down, and sometimes I feel sorry for myself. Nobody is just one thing all the time.

“But when I look back I can’t call myself unlucky. My 23rd birthday was December 14. In these years I have had more than most people get in a lifetime.”

Two months later, Davis died.

Davis never took himself that seriously. He was quiet, a stutterer as a child who improved his speech as demands on his public speaking increased. He remained appreciative of those who helped him on the road to fame

Davis was born on Dec. 14, 1939, in New Salem, Pa. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and his father was soon killed in an accident. He grew up in poverty in Uniontown, a coal-mining town 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, where he was raised by caring grandparents.

At 12, Davis moved to live with his mother and stepfather in Elmira. A high school All-American in football and basketball, he won 11 letters at Elmira Free Academy

More than 30 colleges, including UCLA and Notre Dame, recruited Davis for football, but Syracuse, just 90 miles away, held an advantage. Syracuse also had a famous player in its corner, Jim Brown, the first in a line of star running backs with the Orangemen.

	Davis was a two-time All-American at Syracuse.

“I wanted to play in the big time,” Davis said after leaving Syracuse, “and a lot of people, including Jim Brown, persuaded me that I’d have better opportunities there.”

Davis didn’t disappoint in Syracuse. The only black player on the freshman team, he led the squad to its first unbeaten season, then became the varsity’s top rusher as a sophomore in 1959. With colleges still playing one-platoon football (Davis played defensive back as well as halfback), Syracuse assembled a dominant team. The Orange outscored opponents 390-59 in its 10-0 regular season before gaining its first bowl victory.

Dubbed the “next Jim Brown,” the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Davis wore Brown’s No. 44.

In Syracuse’s 23-14 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl that clinched the national title, Davis, despite playing with a hamstring pull, scored two touchdowns, one on a bowl-record 87-yard reception, and was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player. Just before halftime there was a bench-clearing brawl with racial overtones. Syracuse linemen contended that a Texas lineman delivered a racial slur to John Brown, a black Syracuse player, igniting the fight.

Davis was to have received his MVP award at the awards banquet that night. But when bowl officials said that only white players were invited to the dinner and that Davis would have to leave after picking up his trophy, the Syracuse team refused to attend the affair

His career 2,386 rushing yards and 220 points broke Brown’s school records. An All-American again, Davis beat out Ohio State’s Bob Ferguson and Texas’ Jimmy Saxton for college football’s most prestigious award. “Winning the Heisman Trophy is something you just dream about,” Davis said. “You never think it could happen to you.”

	Davis met President John Kennedy while in New York to accept the Heisman Trophy.

When he was in New York to receive the Heisman, Davis met President John Kennedy, a short visit that thrilled him. “Imagine,” Davis said, “a president wanting to shake hands with me.”

The Washington Redskins made Davis the first pick in the NFL draft on Dec. 4, 1961, but soon traded him to the Cleveland Browns, who signed him to the largest contract up to that time for a rookie — three years for $65,000 plus a $15,000 bonus.

The next July, while training with the College All-Stars for their game against the NFL champion Green Bay Packers, Davis awoke one morning with swelling in his neck. A trainer sent him to the hospital, and doctors soon discovered the leukemia.

They told Davis he had a blood disorder, but didn’t tell him it was leukemia until October. At that point, the disease was in remission, his blood count was normal and Davis kept planning for pro football. He practiced with the Browns, though often by himself on the sidelines, and said he felt strong. However, coach Paul Brown, heeding the advice of medical people who warned him of the risks, did not play Davis.

Sitting out frustrated Davis, who said he wasn’t in pain. The next spring, Davis noticed more swelling and entered the hospital again. Two days later, on May 18, he died in his sleep.

His tombstone reads: Ernie Davis / 1961 Heisman Trophy / 1939-1963.

We both like sports movies based on true stories. We thought The Express was really good and enjoyed that it was partly about the Browns and also Jim Brown. If you’d like to read a little more about Ernie Davis, click here.