Ernie Davis grew up in Elmira playing football. In 1958, he became a running back for Syracuse University where he excelled. Davis was selected as MVP in 1960 for the vital role he played in the Cotton Bowl. In 1961, he became the first African American to receive the Heisman Trophy. By 1962, Davis was drafted into the NFL. However, soon after he was diagnosed with leukemia and as a result never played a professional game. Ernie Davis died at the age of 23 but his legacy lives on.