The Express, a movie based on the life of Ernie Davis will be distributed by Universal Pictures.
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Actor Rob Brown will star as Ernie Davis in the upcoming movie titled The Express. Rob Brown was born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, New York. A natural who never studied acting and who had no professional acting experience, made his acting and motion picture debut in Finding Forrester (2000). Brown shot into the spotlight after starring opposite Sean Connery in the 2000 film. He had no acting experience prior to taking this role, neither professional nor amateur. In search of extra money to pay off a $300 cell-phone bill, Brown tried out as an extra after receiving a flyer in the mail. Several callbacks later he won the lead role of Jamal Wallace.
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Ernie Davis - 1961 Heisman Trophy Winner
Ernie Davis: 1961 Heisman Winner
While Ernie Davis possessed the many athletic feats often associated
with a Heisman Trophy winning season, he will forever be remembered
for other reasons as well. When the Syracuse Orangemen won the
award in 1961, he became the first African-American to win the award.
Following his Heisman season that also included a national
championship for undefeated Syracuse, Ernie Davis was selected with
the first pick of the 1962 NFL Draft. Davis signed a record contract with
the Cleveland Browns and was set to join former Orangemen Jim Brown
in the Cleveland backfield.
Tragically, Ernie Davis didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate his
crowning achievement for very long. Before he ever took an NFL snap,
Davis was diagnosed with Leukemia and never played football again.
Although he is reported to have fought a courageous battle against the
disease, Davis died in 1963. In honor of Davis, the Cleveland Browns
retired the #45 jersey, the number that Davis ws to have worn for the
Browns
Ernie Davis wore the famed #44 jersey for Syracuse, a number also
made famous by other Orangemen such as Jim Brown and Larry
Czonka. Davis broke many of Jim Brown’s school rushing records and
burst onto the Heisman scene with his stellar 1961 performance. That
season saw Davis rush for 823 yards, score 15 touchdowns and lead
Syracuse in receiving. Davis edged out Ohio State’s Bob Ferguson for
the award.
Ernie Davis’ life story is chronicled in a novel called Ernie Davis: The
Elmira Express. The book written by Robert C. Gallagher, gives great
detail about the courageous athlete from Elmira, NY.
Gallagher’s book illustrates the great affection for Ernie Davis as more
than 10,000 mourners filed by his coffin as it lay in state in Elmira, NY.
The author also writes about a heartfelt telegram that President Kennedy
sent to Ernie Davis’ mother. The letter of sympathy spoke of how
impressed the President was with Davis when he had met him shortly
after his Heisman season. President Kennedy noted what a
tremendous inspiration Ernie Davis was to people throughout the
country.
To further celebrate the life of Ernie Davis, a movie is being scheduled
for production. The movie will be called The Express and will feature
Dennis Quaid as Davis’ collegiate coach. An announcement on who will
play Ernie Davis in the movie has not been made at this time.
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Big shoes to fill describes playing the role of Ernie Davis in the Movie, The Express.
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Ernie Davis - 1961 Heisman Trophy WinnerErnie Davis: 1961 Heisman Winner
Ernie Davis - 1961 Heisman Trophy WinnerThe Express Synopsis:
It will be the true story of Ernie Davis who was the first black
american football player to win the Heisman Trophy. The running
back was drafted into the NFL, but his career was cut short when
he was diagnosed with leukemia.
Ernie Davis Historic Helmet Product Description Just as they were produced over 40 years ago, these vintage suspension helmets are individually painted, with hand-applied decals/striping, and manually assembled from more than seventy parts. The machine-sewn leather jaw pads, vintage face mask, riveted-in military style patented cloth-suspension and classic flared shell shape and size make the helmet immediately identifiable with football's "golden" era of the 1950s and 1960s. The smallest details, such as using the original brown thread stitching in the cotton suspension and using only original thin mil decals and striping (underneath suspension rivets) has not been overlooked to insure that these reproductions are accurate.
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Rob Brown as Ernie Davis in the express
Actor Rob Brown plays the role of Ernie Davis
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