Ernie Davis: The Legacy of the Elmira Express
Ernie Davis: The Legacy of the Elmira Express
He led the Orange to a national championship and two bowl victories, broke Jim Browns Syracuse rushing records, helped build the tradition of the number "44" at SU and made a societal breakthrough in 1961 by becoming the first black to win the Heisman Trophy. The legacy of Ernie Davis, the "Elmira Express," is one of "What was...and what could have been..."
Davis was the first player taken in the 1962 draft by the Washington Redskins. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns where Paul Brown hoped to team Davis in a dream backfield with the man whose records Davis had broken at Syracuse, NFL rushing king Jim Brown. The dream never came to be. Davis died of leukemia in 1963, a wonderful and beloved young man stricken down in the prime of his life. But the memory of Davis lives on; The Leukemia Foundation presents the Ernie Davis Award annually to a football player, past or present, who exemplifies Davis qualities "excellence of character and integrity, and service to mankind." His hometown of Elmira, NY has built a statue to commemorate Davis achievements. The trophy and display room in the Carrier Dome is named the Ernie Davis Room. And perhaps most telling of what people thought of Ernie Davis, the person, the Browns retired his jersey number "45", despite the fact he never played a down in the NFL. Ernie Davis was that rare athlete who is remembered as much for who he was as what he achieved on the field of play.
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