Ernie Davis was born Dec. 14, 1939. He died of leukemia on May 18, 1963, just about the time he should have been looking forward to his second season in the NFL.

	Davis rushed for 2,386 yards and scored 220 points for the Orangemen.

After a stellar high school career at Elmira (N.Y.) Free Academy, Davis was recruited to Syracuse University by the legendary Jim Brown. And Davis took up right where Brown left off, leading Syracuse to the national championship as a sophomore.

Two years later, the man known as the "Elmira Express" became the first black player to win the prestigious Heisman trophy. His career 2,386 rushing yards and 220 points broke Brown's school records. His celebrity was such that President Kennedy asked to meet him.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Washington Redskins and traded to the Browns, who signed him to what was then the richest rookie contract in history. Davis, sadly, never carried the ball in the pros. He was diagnosed with leukemia in July of 1962, just before the Browns reported to training camp.

He underwent treatment through the fall, when he should have been wreaking havoc as an NFL rookie, and he even began practicing with the Browns, though often by himself along the sidelines. By the spring of '63, however, the disease was back. He entered the hospital on May 16, 1963, and two days later, he died.

His life was short, but he left behind a lasting legacy. Ben Schwartzwalder, his football coach at Syracuse, said, "I never met another human being as good as Ernie."