The Story
Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) grew up in a poor neighborhood in Elmira, New York in the '40s and '50s, and it was there he found a home away from home on the local youth league football fields. As a child, Ernie could run like the wind. And as he developed as a football player, Ernie's speed and ability to outmaneuver defenses made him standout from the pack so much so that he caught the attention of Syracuse University coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid). Coach Schwartzwalder offered Ernie a scholarship to play, but it was NFL standout Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson) who convinced Ernie Syracuse was the perfect college for running backs.
Although Coach Schwartzwalder and Jim Brown butted heads while Brown played at Syracuse, the men had a great deal of respect for each other. Jim Brown didn't promise Ernie Davis he'd have an easy time at the 99% white college – or an easy time under Coach Schwartzwalder - but he did assure him he'd come out of the experience a better player and a better man.
Battling racism on and off the field, Ernie Davis did what no one – not even the great Jim Brown – was able to do. Davis' talent and determination made Syracuse's 1960 season, which is showcased in the film, one for the record books.
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