Ernie Davis Commemorated by Syracuse Statue

Black American Football player Ernie Davis, who became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, will be commemorated by a statue at Syracuse University. The monument was unveiled Saturday, just a day after the premiere of the upcoming movie about his short but outstanding life and career. Also, a video of the statue unveiling was played during a ceremony at halftime of Syracuse's game against Penn State.

At Syracuse's game against Penn State, director Gary Fleder and actor Dennis Quaid, who plays former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, addressed the 45,000-strong crowd at the Carrier Dome.

Friday night, former Syracuse players Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Art Monk, Don McPherson, and 40 members of the unbeaten 1959 team that won the national championship have attended the premiere of "The Express" at the Landmark Theatre, a biopic based on the authoritative biography by Robert C. Gallagher, Ernie Davis, The Elmira Express: the Story of a Heisman Trophy Winner. Rob Brown (Finding Forrester) is playing Davis and the screenplay was written by Charles Leavitt (Blood Diamond).

Also, a dormitory under construction on the Syracuse University campus will be named Ernie Davis Hall.

Ernie Davis, born and raised near Pittsburgh, moved to Elmira, New York at age 12 with his mother and new stepfather. Eventually, he was named a Small Fry All-Star in both 1952 and 1953. Following his graduation from Elmira Free Academy, he was offered scholarships by more than 50 colleges, at a time when many universities were not offering scholarships to blacks.

Of the offers, he chose Syracuse University, where his outstanding three-year run between 1959 and 1961 gained him the respect and love of his teammates and of many others, despite being confronted with racism on frequent occasions. He is remembered as a remarkable athlete who was also gentle and humble. Ernie Davis became the first African-American athlete to be awarded the Heisman Trophy for the 1961 season during his senior year at Syracuse University. He was lauded by President John F. Kennedy on several occasions.

Ernie Davis was the number one pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, the first black player to be taken first overall. Unfortunately, he was soon diagnosed with leukemia and died on May 18th 1963, at the age of 23. He never played a game as a professional. Davis was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, Chemung County, New York next to Mark Twain.

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Ernie_Davis_Commemorated_by_Syracuse_Statue_24311.html