From The Scoop: Did You Know..? – Ernie Davis
From the February 3 issue of Gemstone Publishing's The
Scoop:
Did you know that Ernie Davis of New Salem, Pennsylvania was the first African American to win the coveted Heisman trophy?
Though he began his noteworthy athletic career as a high schooler at Elmira Free Academy--and led the basketball team to a 52-game winning streak--Davis is, of course, best remembered for his accomplishments on the football field.
He received 11 letters in basketball, baseball, and football at Elmira and was scouted by representatives in all three sports. During his high school career, Davis was described as a modest guy who initially stuttered, but overcame the speech impediment as he was required to conduct post-game interviews.
Over 30 colleges expressed interest in recruiting Davis as a football player, including Notre Dame and UCLA, but Davis eventually chose Syracuse at the behest of one of his heroes, former Orangeman and then-NFL star Jim Brown.
As a sophomore at Syracuse, Davis helped the team to its only national football championship. Two years later, he was awarded the Heisman in 1961 and became the No. 1 NFL draft pick in December of that year. After a short time with the Washington Redskins, Davis was traded to the Cleveland Browns, who offered him the largest ever rookie contract at that time: three years for $65,000 plus a $15,000 bonus.
Early in 1962, however, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia and his promising career was sidelined as he battled the terminal illness. By 1963, he was in remission and wrote an article about his experience with leukemia in The Saturday Evening Post. Though he desperately wanted to get in some play time with the Browns, practicing with the team whenever possible, his coaches though that playing him would be ill-advised. He spent his time with the team on the sidelines. In May of 1963, he visited a doctor and found that the leukemia had returned. He died in his sleep on May 18.
• Produced for the benefit of all who enjoy the hobby of collecting, Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop is available free of charge to anyone who wishes to receive it. To view the latest edition, or to sign up, visit The Scoop online by at http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com.
Did you know that Ernie Davis of New Salem, Pennsylvania was the first African American to win the coveted Heisman trophy?
Though he began his noteworthy athletic career as a high schooler at Elmira Free Academy--and led the basketball team to a 52-game winning streak--Davis is, of course, best remembered for his accomplishments on the football field.
He received 11 letters in basketball, baseball, and football at Elmira and was scouted by representatives in all three sports. During his high school career, Davis was described as a modest guy who initially stuttered, but overcame the speech impediment as he was required to conduct post-game interviews.
Over 30 colleges expressed interest in recruiting Davis as a football player, including Notre Dame and UCLA, but Davis eventually chose Syracuse at the behest of one of his heroes, former Orangeman and then-NFL star Jim Brown.
As a sophomore at Syracuse, Davis helped the team to its only national football championship. Two years later, he was awarded the Heisman in 1961 and became the No. 1 NFL draft pick in December of that year. After a short time with the Washington Redskins, Davis was traded to the Cleveland Browns, who offered him the largest ever rookie contract at that time: three years for $65,000 plus a $15,000 bonus.
Early in 1962, however, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia and his promising career was sidelined as he battled the terminal illness. By 1963, he was in remission and wrote an article about his experience with leukemia in The Saturday Evening Post. Though he desperately wanted to get in some play time with the Browns, practicing with the team whenever possible, his coaches though that playing him would be ill-advised. He spent his time with the team on the sidelines. In May of 1963, he visited a doctor and found that the leukemia had returned. He died in his sleep on May 18.
• Produced for the benefit of all who enjoy the hobby of collecting, Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop is available free of charge to anyone who wishes to receive it. To view the latest edition, or to sign up, visit The Scoop online by at http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com.
