brave williams biggest high school football player

Davis was also a standout in basketball and baseball, leading Elmira Free Academy to a 52-game winning streak in basketball. At 6’2” and 215 pounds, Ernie’s size gave him a distinct advantage over his peers. Over the years, as he was forced to speak more and more in public, he managed to overcome this problem.īy age 12, Davis moved with his mother and stepfather to Elmira, New York, where at Elmira Free Academy, he became a high school All-American in both his junior and senior years. The family was poor, and the town, located an hour south of Pittsburgh, wasn't any better off. Ernie’s mother, Marie Davis, sent him to live with her parents, Elizabeth and Willie, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His parents split up when he was an infant, and his father was killed in an accident before his second birthday.

Davis was born on Decemin New Salem, Pennsylvania.

Playing at Syracuse, he broke Jim Brown's rushing, scoring and touchdown records and helped lead the team to a national championship.ĭavis seemed destined for an extraordinary professional career in the NFL but sadly he passed away from Luekemia at the young age of 23, never getting the opportunity to play a single down in proffessional football.Įrnest R. Ernie Davis was the first African American to win the coveted Heisman trophy.

Brave williams biggest high school football player