Ernest "Ernie" Davis (1939-1963) was a young African American who in just two decades made a difference in American sports. Originally from Pennsylvania, he became an American football star and at the same time became the leading ram of the anti-segregation movement in the United States..
The 44 that he proudly wore in his flannel became a symbol since his performance was framed in a complicated context, since that United States of the 50s knew a complex south, with marked racial conflicts. Ernie made a career out of good grades and athletic performance; conquered trophies and hearts.
In his life he had to battle against leukemia. He entered the Hall of Fame without having participated in a professional game and was immortalized as the Elmira Express, making that town known.
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Pennsylvania is a state in the northern United States. It's on top of Washington and next to New Jersey, where New York is. It has a 97% white population.
There, in a small town called New Salem, Ernest “Ernie” Davis was born on December 14, 1939. Within a few months of his birth, his father passed away in a car accident. His mother, Avis Marie Davis Fleming, left him to her grandparents, Willy and Elizabeth Davis. He was only 14 months old.
The grandparents lived in Uniontown, a town in the south of the state, with fewer than 250 people. In that town he began his first studies, until his mother and stepfather took him with them. I was already 12 years old.
He must have gotten used to Elmira, New York, the largest city his eyes had ever seen, with about 30,000 inhabitants. Ernie was good at his studies and also excelled at sports. He was tall and played baseball, soccer and basketball since elementary school..
He entered the Elmira American Football Minor League. He received two All-America awards, a national honor for the best players in the country. That was in 1952 and 1953.
Then he entered the Free Academy of Elmira. His football skills were immediately recognized: he excelled as a runner, a position he held until the end of his life.
Since the mid-19th century, the so-called Jim Crow laws promoted racism and segregation in the United States. Artistic manifestations, entertainment and sports were areas where prejudices were very marked.
In the 50-60 decades of the 20th century, there was great economic prosperity in the United States, but racial separation was also accentuated. Racial movements led by figures like Martin Luther King brought the issue to the public fore..
When Ernie finished high school, he began opting for a college. His grades were excellent and his sports performance earned him awards and recognition. Still, many universities closed their doors to him.
He was eventually accepted by Syracuse University, north of Elmira. As a sophomore, he led the team to a national championship. That was in 1959 and the story concluded with a triumph over the University of Texas, Longhorns..
The following year he went to the Cotton Bowl, where he was named MVP of the season. A newspaper in your city called Elmira Star Gazette, under the pen of sports journalist Al Mallette, he christened it the Elmira Express.
Ernie Davis was an unstoppable runner, he resembled a locomotive. In his year as a junior he set the record for 7.8 yards per push. He was the nation's third-leading running back, rushing 100 yards in six of nine games.
1960 marked the triumph of the Syracuse team, with a 7-2 record. The following year, in his senior year at Syracuse Orange, he closed with an 8-3 record. Thus beat the Miami Hurricanes in the Liberty Bowl.
In the north of the country the boy was admired and much loved, but in the south of the United States the situation was much more complex. During the Cotton Bowl in 1961 he was awarded the Heisman Trophy. He was the first black athlete to receive it.
The event was held in the city of Dallas, Texas, in the south of the country. The organizing committee of the event made an unusual request: it demanded that, once he received the award, he retired to a segregated dining room, separate from the event. Ernie and two other African-American teammates were removed, despite protests from the rest of the team..
In 1962, when he was just 23 years old, the US National Soccer Organization placed him at the top of the list of best players. It was the first time that an African American had been chosen for that position; then, they made it available to all teams in the country.
The Washington Redskins quickly elected him. However, the racist pressure that was exerted against the team forced them to give it up..
That racist vision in the early 1960s was very intense and manifested itself in the rejection of Davis. That's when the Cleveland Browns added him to their payroll. Ernie signed a three-year contract for $ 200,000, plus special clauses. Became the highest paid rookie in history.
He played a couple of friendly games, but never made it to his first professional game because he died in 1962..
In one game, while circling the stadium to be cheered, Ernie Davis fell unconscious to the ground. They took him to the hospital and found that he suffered from acute hemocritical leukemia. He died on May 18, 1962.
After his death, the Syracuse University team withdrew number 44 from all games, in tribute to that boy. The following year, the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, described him as an exceptional citizen and a worthy example of the youth.
In 1979 it was included post mortem into the Hall of Fame for American Football Players. The Post Office Telegraph even changed the zip code for Syracuse University, giving it 12344 in honor of Ernie Davis..
In 2018 the film was released The express, Directed by Gary Fleder. The film was based on the book that tells real events called Elmira's Express: The Ernie Davis Story, written by Robert C. Gallagher.
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