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. 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. Davis played football... for Syracuse University, and went on to gain national fame for three seasons , twice winning first-team All-American honors. As a sophomore in 1959, Davis led Syracuse to the NCAA Division I-A national football championship, capping an undefeated season with a 23-14 win over The University of Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic. That same year, Elmira Star-Gazette sports writer Al Mallette coined the nickname for Davis, the "Elmira Express". Davis was voted Most Valuable Player of the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic and the 1961 Liberty Bowl.
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| Birthdate: | December 14, 1939 |
| Birthplace: | New Salem-Buffington, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death: | May 18, 1963 |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Weight: | 211.6 lbs. |
| Education: | Syracuse University |
| Also known as: | Ernest Davis, Elmira Express, Ernie |