I still say it was weird that Syracuse University didn't do more to honor the 50th Anniversary of Ernie Davis' Heisman Trophy this season. A halftime celebration was nice but it was a big missed opportunity to honor the greatest of the great.
Anyway, they will be doing something this Friday as the 2011 Heisman Trophy announcement nears.
SU athletics will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Davis’ feat at 7 p.m. Friday at the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library 170 Central Park West at 77th Street. The 7 p.m. program (closed to the public) will feature remarks from Vice President Joseph R. Biden (JD 1968) and a film tribute to Davis. Sportscaster Marv Albert, a classmate of Davis at Syracuse, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Closed to the public? That sounds great! Definitely what Ernie Davis would have wanted!
There will be a panel of hand to discuss the evolution of diversity and equal rights in sports, and includes some heavy hitters such as Floyd Little, Dave Bing and Art Monk. Big deal. Important discussion.
I don't know, call me crazy. I just think Ernie Davis would have look at all this, shook his head, laughed and headed home.
I understand why we do this kind of stuff and why we feel the need to do it around Ernie Davis' name. But from what I've read and everything I've heard about the man, Ernie Davis wouldn't care for an event like this. He practiced diversity and equality by living it, even in the face of opposition, not sitting around dissecting it. Isn't that the lesson we were supposed to learn from him?
Panel discussions and historical society social gatherings closed off to the public? I can't think of anything more UN-Ernie Davis.