Ernie Davis Essay

A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy larnner, Ernie Davis would go on to draw MVP backup in both the Cotton Bowl and the conversance Bowl, and was inducted into the College Football anteroom Of Fame in 1979. He was the first African American man to pull through the Heisman Trophy, and to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft. His c atomic number 18er was cut mindless when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1962.Athlete. American Football player. Ernie Davis was born on December 14, 1939 in New Salem, Pennsylvania, USA. He is the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy and the first blacken athlete to be chosen 1st overall in the NFL Draft.A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Davis specialize yardage and scoring records at Syracuse University. He would go on to win MVP title in both the 1960 Cotton Bowl and the 1961 Liberty Bowl, and would be inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1979. His honors and accomplishments on the gridiron were matched unaccompanied by his adversity absent the field As a black athlete playing many games in the south, he was the victim of racial discrimination on several occasions.The most publicized incident occurred when he was selected as the Cotton Bowl MVP in 1960. Davis was told by organizers that he would be allowed to accept his award at the post game banquet, and would immediately have a bun in the oven to leave the segregated facility. Ernie refused to receive the award, and his entire team agreed to boycott the banquet. A man of firsts, Ernie Davis was the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy, the first to join the prestigious Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity (a nationally recognise Jewish fraternity) and, in 1962, became the first African American player to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft.Tragic DeathAlthough the details are somewhat disputed, Davis contract was considered to be the most lucrative ever offered to an NFL r ookie. His teammates and supporters looked ahead to seeing Ernie sharing the backfield with the great Jim Brown, breaking countless records and leading the Cleveland Browns to a decade of victorious seasons. Those seasons would neer come, however, as Ernie was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia during preparations for the 1962 College All lead Game. Although treatment had begun immediately, the disease would prove incurable and Ernie died on May 18, 1963 Having never played a professional football game.Both the House and the Senate eulogized him, and his light up was in The Neighborhood House in Elmira, New York, where more than 10,000 mourners salaried their respects. Accolades from JFKHis character and his athletic accomplishments caught the eye of John F. Kennedy, who had followed Ernies college career and do several attempts to meet the star. In 1963, when he heard Ernie would be prestigious by his high school with a school holiday, the president send a telegram rea ding Seldom has an athlete been more be 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. Its a privilege for me to cite you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy pillowcase of our youth. I salute you.Ernie Davis was the subject of the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express, based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher.