Ernest ( Ernie ) Davis aka Floyd Little, the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy
Ernest ( Ernie ) Davis aka Floyd Little was born in New Salem, Pennsylvania. Ernest ( Ernie ) Davis aka Floyd Little was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Floyd little led the NFL in rushing for the six-year period from 1968–73. He retired as the 7th leading rusher in NFL history with 6,323 yards rushing and 54 touchdowns.
Ernie Davis was the number-one pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, becoming the first African American football player to be taken first overall. Selected by the Washington Redskins, his rights were then traded to the Cleveland Browns.
In late December of 1961,Davis signed a three-year, $200,000 contract with the Browns while he was in San Francisco, California practicing for the East-West Shrine Game. But sadly, the Browns’ dream of pairing Davis with Jim Brown in the backfield took a tragic turn when Davis was diagnosed with leukemia during preparations for the 1962 College All-Star Game.
Ernie Davis aka Floyd Little never played a game as a professional, with his only appearance at Cleveland Stadium coming during a 1962 pre-season game, in which he ran onto the field as a spotlight followed him.
Davis was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia and began receiving medical treatment in the summer of 1962. The disease was incurable and he died in Cleveland Lakeside Hospital May 18,1963 at the age of 23. Both the House and the Senate of the United States Congress eulogized him.
In October 10, 2008, a motion picture biography titled “The Express” was released. The Express was directed by Gary Fleder and was based on the non-fiction book The Elmira Express, the Story of Ernie Davis by Robert C. Gallagher
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