U-Ernie Davis wayengumntu okrelekrele Ngeetalente zakhe zobungcali ebomini bakhe njengomdlali waseMelika kudidi olusebenzayo emva kwibhola ekhatywayo yaseMelika. Khange akwazi ukuqhubela phambili kudidi lwakhe njenge ubomi bakhe bancitshiswa sisifo esibulalayo okwakhokelela ekufeni ngaphambi kwexesha.
Ubomi bakhe buphawulwe kwimbali, kuba esemncinci waba ngumntu wokuqala wase-Afrika ukuphumelela i-Heisman Trophy, eyaphawula ngaphambili nasemva kokuba yamkelwe njengengcali ngombala wolusu lwayo. Ngaphambili olu didi lwalungamkelwa, kodwa izipho zakhe ezinkulu zanceda kamva Izithintelo zobuhlanga ziya kwaphulwa kwezemidlalo eMelika.
Ubuntwana bukaErnie Davis
U-Ernie Davis wayenobuntwana obunzima. Wazalelwa eNew Salem-Buffington kwiphondo lasePennsylvania. Abazali bakhe baqhawula umtshato kwiintsuku ezimbalwa emva kokuzalwa kwakhe kwaye wayengazi okanye enenkumbulo kayise okoko wasweleka ngenxa yengozi yemoto.
Kwakufuneka akhuliswe ngumakhulu notatomkhulu wakhe, ke uchithe ubuntwana bakhe e-Unjontown, indawo ekumgangatho ophantsi emaphethelweni ePittsburgh. Xa wayeneminyaka eli-12 ubudala wabuyela kunina nakutata wakhe kwaye waya kuhlala e-Elmira kwiNew York County. Apho wakwazi ukufunda kwiziko likarhulumente kule dolophu incinci.
Apho Wayekwazi ukuqala kwezemidlalo, ekwazi ukubalasela kwibhola ekhatywayo yaseMelika. Ucacisile ukubaleka umva okanye "imbaleki" kunye nokuzithoba kuphumelela amabhaso abalulekileyo kubungcali bakhe.
Izifundo zakho kunye nemidlalo
Ernie Uqale ikholeji yakhe eSirakuse, emantla e-Elmira ngo-1958. Kwakunzima kuye ukufumana eyunivesithi eyayinokuxhasa ngemali izifundo zakhe. Izifundo zakhe zazingenakulinganiswa kunye nempumelelo yakhe kwimidlalo unokungeniswa ekugqibeleni ngemfundo yemidlalo yeembaleki ezimnyama kwaye wakwazi ukuxhasa ubomi bakhe ngezemidlalo. Wayengenguye umntu owakhathazwa yindlela yokuphila awayefanele aphile ngayo, ke wayengumntu ophumeleleyo.
Waqala umsebenzi wakhe kwezemidlalo ebonisa indlela yokubuyela umva. Esi sikhundla simnika uxanduva oluphambili kulo mdlalo, kuba kufuneka abaleke iiyadi ezininzi kangangoko ekhangela indawo yokuphela. Wayeyimbaleki engenakuthintelwa kwaye waphumelela amabhaso amakhulu ngomsebenzi wakhe.
Njengomdlali omncinci setha irekhodi leeyadi eziyi-7,8 ngokutyhala kwaye wayeyimbaleki yesithathu ephumeleleyo kwilizwe apho abaleke khona iiyadi ezili-100 kwimidlalo emithandathu esithoba. Wanikwa inombolo engu-45, inani elaliphinde labelwa ngomnye umdlali omnyama kwiqela laseCleveland Browns.
Kunyaka wakhe wesibini njengomdlali, wakhokela iqela lakhe kwiCotton Bowl, Umdlalo ophambili obanjwa minyaka le eDallas. Bayoyisile iTexas, apho amanqaku amabini achukumisayo ukumqonda njengoyena mdlali uxabisekileyo. Oku kwamenza isiteketiso "Elmira Express."
Enkosi ngeli bhaso tKwakukho ukubuyela umva ngokobuhlanga ekubhiyozeleni ukuphumelela kwakhe kweCotton Bowl. Wayefunwa ukuba abekwe bucala ngenxa yombala wolusu lwakhe kwisidlo sangokuhlwa ekwakufuneka sibhiyozelwe, ke iqela laseSyrause lakhaba umcimbi.
Amabhaso afunyenwe
Ndifumene i-Heisman Trophy ngexesha le-Cotton Bowl ka-1961. Eli bhaso linikwa oyena mdlali ubalaseleyo waseMelika kwikholeji kwaye uErnie wayengumntu wokuqala ukufumana. Nditsho nebhaso alifumeneyo, kuye kwafuneka aqhubeke noqhankqalazo lobuhlanga kwimibhiyozo yakhe.
Ngo-1962 uMbutho weSoka weSizwe wase-USA wambeka kuqala kuluhlu lwabadlali ababalaseleyo. U-Ernie wayeneminyaka engama-23 ubudala kwaye Kwakuqala ukuba umntu wase-Afrika waseMelika anikwe eso sikhundla. Ngale mpumelelo wanikwa imeko yokungena kuwo onke amaqela elizweni.
Umsebenzi wakhe wezemidlalo
Intlanganiso yoNyaka yoKhetho loMdlali weNFL ukhethe u-Ernie njengomdlali wakhe amthandayo, Ukubeka kuqala kuluhlu oluza kukhethelwa iqela elikhuphisanayo.
Iqela le Iibhili zeBuffalo zeAmerican Fooball League zifumene amalungelo kumdlali, nangona u-Ernie wabonisa ukukhetha kwakhe kwi-NFL. U-Ernie davis Kwathengiswa iintsuku kamva kwiCleveland Browns ngesivumelwano esixabisa i-200.000 yeedola ngaphezulu kweminyaka emithathu, kunye ne-premium ye-15.000 yeedola.
Wenziwa ukuba aqale ukuqala umsebenzi wakhe wobuchwephesha njengomdlali obalaseleyo kodwa ubomi bakhe bacothiswa sisifo esibi.
Ukufa
U-Ernie wayeqeqeshwa ecaleni komdibaniso weenkwenkwezi zemidlalo yebhola ekhatywayo. Iphelile ngaphandle kwesilumkiso kwaye abaqeqeshi bakhe babona ukuba intamo yakhe idumbile, bamsa kwigumbi likaxakeka. I-leukemia egwenxa ye-hemocrocric yafunyanwa kwaye kubonakala ngathi ayinakuphinda ibuye.
UDavis walwa nesi sifo ngenxa yokukhohlisa kwakhe okukhulu Kwakusekuqaleni kwi-NFL. Ngomhla we-16 kuMeyi, ngo-1963, wangeniswa ngenxa yeengxaki ezivela kwisifo sakhe kwaye wasweleka kwiintsuku ezimbini kamva.
Emva kokufa kwakhe, UCleveland uthathe umhlala-phantsi kwinani lama-45 ngomsebenzi wakhe omkhulu wobuntu kwaye yamkelwe ngokuchasene nobuhlanga eMelika. Ngo-2008 Ifilimu esekwe kubomi bakhe yakhutshwa phantsi kwesihloko esithi The Express, enkosi kumzamo wakhe kunye nexabiso elikhulu lokuphuculwa komntu.