The Daily Orange

A legend still lives

Abstract:
John Brown exchanged quick goodbyes with his close friend Ernie Davis before stepping out of their Cleveland apartment on the morning of May 16, 1963....

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Bob Paine

posted 10/16/07 @ 1:41 AM EST

Ernie Davis was my first sports hero. I don't remember many specifics of his career but I do remember what an elegant player he was during his college career. On the day he died, I told my father I was going to go to Syracuse (I did) and his first and only footbsall card was one of the prized possesions of my youth. As I have gotten older and learned more about Ernie Davis, I am honored to know that I was rooting for such a genuine and wonderful person.

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Harvey Grosberg

posted 10/16/07 @ 2:41 AM EST

I was a member of the SU class of 1961, so I was there for the Ernie Davis years. I remember the first time I saw him play. It was a freshman game against, I think, Colgate. With Syracuse on offense, a hand off to Davis up the middle. A collision of many bodies and then Davis emerges out of it into the secondary. He sheds a few more tackle attempts and easily outruns the remaining defenders for a 50 or 60 yard td. I remember thinking to myself, "A man playing with boys." That's what it looked like. Over all of the years I've often thought about what might have been - a backfield of Ernie Davis and Jim Brown. Can you imagine? So, this story brought back many memories for me. I hope the movie includes the horrible racism incidents described in the story.

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Linda Dulye

posted 10/16/07 @ 9:10 AM EST

No chest thumping, no in-your-face antics, no all-about-me attitude--just sheer athleticism, authenticity and professionalism. Thank you Ernie Davis for being the ultimate human hero, not just a sports hero. And thank you Daily Orange for an article as inspiring as its subject.

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Carl Armani

posted 10/16/07 @ 11:54 AM EST

I was a gradute of the class of 1960. We were National Champs and it was because of Coach Ben but most of all Ernie Davis. I met him several times and he was the most natural,down to earth centered person I think I ever met. He always had a big smile on his face and he was a one man Army for the black equality movement.

Carl Armani

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Alberto Dominguez

posted 10/17/07 @ 9:06 AM EST

I wasn't as fortunate as some of my fellow Orange alum to see Ernie Davis play, but as an undergraduate an aura surrounded his legacy; an aura that struck a chord with me then and strikes a chord with me today.

Forever 44

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