DVD Release: January 20

PG; Drama; 130 minutes

The true story of Ernie Davis is one that will touch the hearts of everyone, football fan or not. By the time he was in high school, everyone knew the young Ernie was a top prospect for college football. Offered about 50 scholarships, Davis (Rob Brown) decided to take the offer of Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), head coach at Syracuse University, but only after alumni Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson) was sent to recruit him. Times were tough for African-Americans in the early 1960s, and Ernie had to remain strong but silent, in the manner of his hero, Jackie Robinson. Denied access to hotels and restaurants in the South, Davis and his teammate Jack Buckley (Omar Benson Miller) suffered indignities together, both winning places on All-American teams. Eventually Davis went on to lead his team to a national championship and to become the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy. But he was never to play in a professional game. 

DVD Extras: Commentary; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes include “The Story of Ernie Davis.”

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