Ernest Davis

Ernie Davis Drawing (Drawn By Andrew G)

My hero is Ernest Davis because he was one of the most inspiring African American football players of all time. Ernest was born on Dec. 14, 1939 in New Salem, Pennsylvania. Shortly after he was born his parents divorced and he moved with his mother to Uniontown, Pennsylvania. In Uniontown, Ernest played football and neighborhood basketball. He was the Small Fry Football League MVP (Most Valuable Player) and excelled in basketball in high school. He was the first African American to win the Heisman trophy. He died of leukemia at the age of twenty-three in 1962. He is also remembered as a superior athlete. Ernest would never try to stand out, play the crowds, or embarrass any other players, he was a true team player.

Ernest Davis didn't just excel in football at Elmira Free Academy he also excelled in basketball. Ernest led his team to fifty-two straight wins in his junior and senior years in high school. Ernest averaged 18.4 points a game and set a conference record of 1,065 points. Ernest was well on his way to the NBA.

Ernest Davis was amazing at football and shocked the college football league. He played for three years at Syracuse and found fame by winning the Heisman trophy in his third year. He was the first African American to be honored with the Heisman trophy.

When Ernest Davis was drafted into the NFL, he found out that he was diagnosed with leukemia and that he had less than a year to live. Then one Friday night Ernest fell into a coma, and at 2 a.m. on May 18, 1963 he coughed once and died. Nearly thirty Browns players and staff flew into Elmira for the funeral services.

In 1979 he was elected into the college football Hall Of Fame. The NFL retired his number even though he never played a single game in the NFL. Ernie Davis was very courageous for what he went through and what he did.