With Earl Austin Jr.
Ernie Davis on the big screen
Movie about college football legend opens Friday
I will be spending my Friday night at the movies to take in the eagerly-anticipated premier of The Express.
The movie is about Ernie Davis, a former star running back at Syracuse University, who became the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961.
I am looking forward to seeing the Ernie Davis story captured on the big screen for the rest of the country to witness. I spent close to five years of my life living in Syracuse, N.Y., so I had plenty of opportunity to follow the history of the great SU running backs of the past. Davis’ name is right there alongside former NFL greats such as Jim Brown, Floyd Little and Larry Cszonka, who ran up and down the field at old Archbold Stadium way back in the day.
Davis did not get the opportunity to display his extraordinary talents in the National Football League. After becoming the first African American to be the first player picked in the NFL Draft in 1962 by the Washington Redskins (who then traded his rights to the Cleveland Browns), Davis was diagnosed with leukemia that summer. He died in December of 1963 at the age of 23. Although he never played a game with the Browns, his number 45 was retired by the franchise.
While going to Orangemen games in the 1970’s, I heard all of the Ernie Davis stories and have seen all of the Ernie Davis exhibits on campus. This movie, in a way, will give me a chance to put a face with all of the great stories I used to hear about the exploits of the “Elmira Express,” a nickname given to him by a local sportswriter during his days as an All-American high school player in Elmira, N.Y.
Davis was the one who followed in the larger-than-life shoes of Jim Brown after he left Syracuse. He was a beast of a tailback at 6’2” and 220-pounds with speed and power to match. He turned that talent into three great years at Syracuse, when he was the Most Valuable Player of the Cotton Bowl in 1960 and Liberty Bowl in 1961, the same year he won the Heisman.
An African American could be on the verge of making political history in less than a month from now. In the meantime, why not go check out a movie about another African American who would go on to make his own history during a very turbulent period in our nation’s history.
Shout outs
It’s time for a few more high school football “shout-outs” this week.
First, the Maplewood Blue Devils are enjoying another excellent year at 6-0. This comes after last year’s breakthrough campaign in 2007 when the Blue Devils finished 12-1 and advanced to the semifinals of the Class 2 state playoffs. Maplewood is led by two-sport star Bryant Allen, who has scored 14 touchdowns. He is being recruited by several Division I schools for basketball and baseball. Quarterback Les Williams has passed for 1,068 yards and 14 touchdowns. The defense is led by Devin Lindsey, who has 11 quarterback sacks.
On the Illinois side, the Cahokia Comanches are also rolling along at 6-0. Quarterback Patrick Ivy is enjoying a monster season after stepping in for the injured Darien “Doc” Donald. Ivy has thrown for 1,269 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 340 yards and three scores. Wide receiver Jimmie Hunt and tailback Deonta Beverly have scored nine touchdowns each.
Golden Dawn
The community of East St. Louis gave its latest sports heroine a tremendous welcome as a parade was held in honor for Dawn Harper, the former East Side track star who stunned the world by winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Wearing a T-Shirt with the letters “USA” across the front, Harper proudly displayed the gold medal that she had won around her neck. She was joined in the parade by women’s sports icon Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who has been Harper’s mentor throughout her career. Once again, congrats to a very special athlete on a very special accomplishment.