Ernie Davis Awards Issues - Essay Example

The same was witnessed by Ernie Davis in his Cotton Bowl Classic visit. The discrimination was evident from the fact that Ernie Davis was asked to collect his award at the banquet following the game and leave. Ernie Davis’s refusal to do this caused all his white teammates to boycott the banquet. Ernie Davis also won the MVP title in the Liberty Bowl. One year, in 1961, Ernie Davis won the Heisman Trophy. This trophy meant a lot for Ernie Davis given he was the first athlete of the African American race ever to win the Heisman Trophy. In 1979, Ernie Davis was introduced into the College Football Hall of Fame. All his achievements, titles, and awards carried a special meaning for Ernie Davis because he had won them by fighting the dual challenge of showing marvelous performance in the games and prejudice against the black athletes in the South. John F. Kennedy passed a salute to Ernie Davis saying, “Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field, reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship, and citizenship…I salute you” (Kennedy, cited in “Ernie Davis”).