Ernie Davis

American football player

1939 – 1963

92

Who was Ernie Davis?

Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns in December 1961, when he was issued number 45. However, he would never play a professional game, as he was diagnosed with leukemia in 1962. He is the subject of the 2008 Universal Pictures movie biography The Express, based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher.

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Born
Dec 14, 1939
New Salem-Buffington
Also known as
  • Ernest Davis
  • Elmira Express
  • Ernie
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Syracuse University
  • Elmira Free Academy
Lived in
  • Pennsylvania
Died
May 18, 1963
Cleveland

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Ernie Davis." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/ernie_davis>.

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