Ernie Davis Autographs
Ernest R. Davis (December 14, 1939 – May 18, 1963) was an American college football player who was a halfback for the Syracuse Orangemen and won the Heisman Trophy in 1961. He was the award's first black recipient. Davis was selected first overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1962 NFL draft but was almost immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns. He was diagnosed with leukemia that same year, and died shortly after at age 23 without ever playing in a professional game. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and was the subject of the 2008 film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story.
Davis was born in New Salem, Pennsylvania. His father was killed in an accident shortly after his birth, and his mother, Avis Marie Davis Fleming, could not raise him alone. At 14 months, he was cared for by his maternal grandparents, Willie and Elizabeth Davis. At age 12, he went to live with his mother and stepfather in Elmira, New York, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football in grade school. He attended Elmira Free Academy, where he earned two All-American honors. At the end of his senior season he was recruited by numerous colleges, and chose to attend Syracuse University after being persuaded by Jim Brown, a Syracuse alumnus.
Davis played football for coach Ben Schwartzwalder at Syracuse University from 1959 to 1961, and went on to national fame in each of those three seasons, twice winning first-team All-American honors. As a sophomore, Davis led the 1959 Syracuse team to a national championship, capping an 11–0 season with a 23–14 win over the Texas Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic, where Davis was named Most Valuable Player. That same season, Elmira Star-Gazette sports writer Al Mallette coined the nickname for Davis, the "Elmira Express". In his junior year, 1960, he set a record of 7.8 yards per carry and was the third leading rusher in the country with 877 yards, having rushed for 100 yards in six of nine games. The 1960 Syracuse Orangemen finished with a record of 7–2 and did not play in a post-season bowl game. In Ernie's senior year, the 1961 Orangemen finished with a record of 8–3, closing the season with a 15–14 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Liberty Bowl, played at Philadelphia's Franklin Field. College football used limited substitution rules at the time and players played both offense and defense.
Read more about Ernie Davis on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Ernie Davis
The most expensive item with a signature of Ernie Davis (Ernie Davis Single Signed 1961 Syracuse Heisman Trophy Presentation Football JSA) was sold in April 2025 for $9,995.00 while the cheapest item (Ernie Davis #4 Sketch Card Limited 8/50 Edward Vela Signed) found a new owner for $0.99 in July 2022. The month with the most items sold (5) was October 2022 with an average selling price of $2.99 for an autographed item of Ernie Davis. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in April 2025 with $9,995.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was July 2022. In average, an autographed item from Ernie Davis is worth $6.99.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Ernie Davis were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Dick Fiedler Signed Syracuse University Football Photo Ernie Davis Teammate 8x10 | $24.99 |  |
| Ernie Davis #3 Art Card Limited 26/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis #3 Art Card Limited 27/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $2.76 | |
| Ernie Davis #3 Art Card Limited 29/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis #3 Art Card Limited 31/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $3.99 | |
| Ernie Davis #4 Art Card Limited 10/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $10.50 | |
| Ernie Davis #4 Art Card Limited 13/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis #4 Art Card Limited 14/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.25 | |
| Ernie Davis #4 Art Card Limited 15/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis #4 Art Card Limited 9/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis 1962 SCCS Basketball Autographed Program PSA 9 Browns/Syracuse | $8,500.00 | |
| Ernie Davis Art Card Limited 40/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $3.99 | |
| Ernie Davis Art Card Limited 41/50 Edward Vela Signed (Syracuse Orangemen) | $4.99 | |
| Ernie Davis signed 3x5 cut, Syracuse AA, 1961 Heisman, NFL, CFHOF, D. 1963 | $999.00 | |
| Ernie Davis Single Signed 1961 Syracuse Heisman Trophy Presentation Football JSA | $9,995.00 | |
Latest News about Ernie Davis
'He’s just a great kid': Ernie Davis Award winner a standout on and off the fiel (12/14/2023): Excellence on the field and in the classroom helped Horseheads senior win Ernie Davis Award on Davis' birthday. 
Nominees for Ernie Davis Award praise Elmira legend's continued impact (12/09/2023): Elmira's Evan Garvin, Edison's Brycen Guinnip and Horseheads' Bradock Salisbury nominated for Ernie Davis Award.
