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Ernie Davis
Running Back
6-2, 210
Elmira, N.Y.
Elmira Free Academy
1961 All-American
1961 Heisman Trophy Winner
1961 Heisman Trophy Winner
They called him "The Elmira Express." Ernest R. Davis became the first African-American and the only SU player to win the Heisman trophy.
Nothing Ernie Davis did on or off the field at Syracuse University ever detracted from the nickname he earned at Elmira Free Academy.
Davis, a superbly-conditioned 6-foot-2 inch, 205-pound halfback, placed a key role in SU's drive to its only national football championship -- and he was only a sophomore at the time.
The year was 1959 and Davis rushed for a team-high 686 yards (at an all-time SU-record 7.0 yards per carry) and scored 10 touchdowns to power Coach Floyd (Ben) Schwartzwalder's Orangemen to a 10-0 record, the nation's No. 1 rankingg and a Cotton Bowl showdown with No. 2-ranked Texas.
With collective eyes of the college football world focused on Dallas, Texas, Davis captured MVP honors, scring two touchdowns -- one on a n 87-yard halfback option pass from SU captain Ger Schwedes -- and setting up a third to spark a 23-14 Orange triumph for win No. 11.
In 1960, Syracuse finished 7-2 as Davis rushed for a team-high 877 yards and scored 10 touchdowns to earn All-American accolades.
Davis led the Orangemen to a 7-3 record in 1961, rushing for a team-high 823 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns.
He then rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries and scored SU's first touchdown as the Orangemen rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit to nip Miami, Fla., 15-14, in the Liberty Bowl.
By season's end, Davis had set eight new SU career, season and single-game football records, including most net rushing yards (2,386), touchdowns (35) and points scored (220) in three years. He is currently ninth on Syracuse’s career rushing yards record list with 2,386 yards.
A unanimous selection for his second All-America honor, Davis was then honored as the 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, becoming the first black athlete to capture the coveted award.
Hoping to team the talented Davis with his SU backfield predecessor and NFL rushing king Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell traded star receiver Bobby Mitchell to the Washington Redskins in return for the NFL draft rights to Davis. Modell selected Davis as the first overall selection in the annual draft.
But before the former Orange stars could ever suit up together for the Browns, Davis contracted leukemia and died on May 18, 1963. He was 23.
In the fall of 1979, Ernest R. Davis, who had taken the greatness of SU's No. 44 from Jim Brown and passed it on to Floyd Little, was a posthumous induction into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame. He was named to Syracuse University's All-Century team in November, 1999.
Davis' Career Year-by-Year
Senior Year (1961): Earned All-America honors … Became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy … Rushed for 823 yards on 150 carries for a average of 5.5 … Scored 15 total touchdowns, including 12 rushing … Led the team in receptions with 16 and had 157 receiving yards and two touchdowns … Threw a pass for a touchdown … Returned punts and kickoffs … Ran 30 times for 140 yards and one touchdown to help lead Syracuse to a Liberty Bowl victory against Miami (Fla.).
Junior Year (1960): Earned All-America honors from the Football Coaches Association, the United Press International, The Sporting News, and ABC-TV … Third in the nation with 877 yards and an astonishing average of 7.8 yards per carry, which still stands as a SU record … Had 11 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns … Returned punts and kickoffs … Scored 10 touchdowns and 62 total points
Sophomore Year (1959): Named the East’s Sophomore of the Year … Ranked 11th in the nation with 686 rushing yards on 98 carries … Scored 10 total touchdowns, including three TD runs of longer than 50 yards … Had 11 receptions for 94 yards … Also returned punts and kickoffs … Led team to Cotton Bowl victory, 23-14 against Texas, and the National Championship … Named the Cotton Bowl Most Valuable Player, Davis carried the ball eight times for 57 yards and one touchdown and caught one pass, an 87-yard touchdown reception.
Personal: Ernest R. Davis … Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on December 14, 1939 … Attended Elmira Free Academy … Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979 … Was selected with the first overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns … Died of leukemia in 1963.
|
|
Carries |
Yards |
Avg. |
TDs |
|
1959 |
98 |
686 |
7.0 |
8 |
|
1960 |
112 |
877 |
7.8 |
8 |
|
1961 |
150 |
823 |
5.5 |
12 |
|
TOTALS |
360 |
2,386 |
6.6 |
28 |
|
|
Recpt. |
Yards |
Avg. |
TDs |
|
1959 |
11 |
94 |
8.5 |
0 |
|
1960 |
11 |
141 |
12.8 |
2 |
|
1961 |
16 |
157 |
9.8 |
2 |
|
TOTALS |
38 |
392 |
10.3 |
4 |
|
|
KO Ret. |
Yards |
Avg. |
TDs |
|
1959 |
3 |
36 |
12.0 |
0 |
|
1960 |
9 |
98 |
10.9 |
0 |
|
1961 |
3 |
62 |
20.7 |
0 |
|
TOTALS |
15 |
196 |
13.1 |
0 |
|
|
Punt Ret. |
Yards |
Avg. |
TDs |
|
1959 |
6 |
64 |
10.7 |
0 |
|
1960 |
4 |
87 |
21.7 |
0 |
|
1961 |
7 |
72 |
10.3 |
0 |
|
TOTALS |
17 |
223 |
13.1 |
0 |
