Free Ernie Davies Essay Example

Football background

Among the athletes in the world, Ernie Davies has really taken his place among them in the Football section. He was born in December 14th 1999 at Pennsylvania, particularly New Salem. He actually never met his own father and was raised by his own grandparents on the mother’s side. He was full of stuttering problems during his childhood but he had received no care during his childhood. He was first introduced to football by his uncle while his mother gave him the morale to continue playing football and gave him support to join the Elmira Free Academy. In the year 1951, he moved to New York to live with his mother and stepfather. In his athletic life, he participated in football and basketball and earned two all-American honors for both sports. His performance in athletics was motivated by his childhood hero who was Jim Brown.

Portrayal at SU

Ernie Davis skills were very apparent when he joined the Elmira Academy and more than thirty schools wanted to employ his skills in their football teams. Jim Brown, who was Ernie Davis’ hero, convinced him to join up with SU. This is because; the university was indeed a place where young black American athletes were welcomed. Ernie Davis was indeed portrayed as a great and honored player because of his performance in football. In the Ernie Davis hall for instance, it was named after him in his honor and it was termed the first “green” residence hall. It was initiated in the February 18th of 2008. He was indeed a great member of the school to the extent that he has become part of the school’s identity. His impact on the school was immense in the sense that a statue was built in his honor as well as his shirt number transformed the zip code from 13210 to 13244 as well as the university number from 423 to 443.

Ernie as a football role model

Even though he was a multi-skilled star in football, basketball and baseball, his real passion was majorly in football. He was really on demand by several schools but Jim Brown convinced him to join the Syracuse University. Ever since his entry at this university, he ruled the football from the beginning because of his exceptional skills. His legacy truly began when he received his jersey labeled number 44. His achievements range from his sophomore year when he was ranked 11 in the whole nation with 686 rushing yards, he led his team to the Cotton Bowl victory as well as winning the national championship, to his senior year in 1961 when he won the All-American honors. His achievements are indeed impressive and can serve as a role model for the upcoming football players who plan to become as legendary as Ernie Davis.
The Jersey number won by Ernie Davis, #44, is among the most storied number in the Syracuse University. This is implied as the extremely wonderful performances by Davis led to several changes in his honor. As mentioned earlier, the phone number of the SU changed to 443 from 423, the school buses all had 44s in them like 443, 344 and 44, the Marshall street was also renamed to 44s and the school zip code transformed to 13244 from 13210. This was done all in honor of their heroic player Ernie Davis. This is a clear depiction of the love and respect he had for them and vice versa. In addition, the Syracuse University alumnus, specifically Robert Gallagher, tells the story of the amazing football player in “The Express” magazine in the #44 jersey. Among the school goers of Syracuse University, Ernie Davis is a living flame in them as a legend. For instance, Scott Pitoniak recognizes Ernie Davis in his column in journalism newspapers.

Discrimination on his part

Ernie Davis was living in an era of racial discrimination especially where several were fighting against the discrimination against the black Americans in the America. For instance, Martin Luther King led the Montgomery Boycott in 1955 and convinced the president to end discrimination against the African-Americans. President John F. Kennedy pushed for the civil rights by proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Ernie Davis was discriminated against in the school, like in his freshman year, he was being pushed around by the white boys and in his football matches and they were scorned because of their color. During the Cotton Bowl in 1960, the Texas team played dirty but instead of them being punished, the black players of the Syracuse team were punished. During the civil rights movement, the Syracuse University took part in the marches between 1955 and 1968 and in 1961; he was the first African-American to be awarded the Heisman trophy. Hence, he was also a symbol for the Blacks’ discrimination in America.