Nov. 28, 1961

Ernie Davis became the first Black player to win the collegiate Heisman Trophy while a running back at Syracuse University. His life story was portrayed in the 2008 movie, “The Express.” 

By age 12, he excelled in sports, leading his high school basketball team in Elmira, New York, to a 52-game winning streak. He became a talented football player and was recruited to Syracuse University by alumnus Jim Brown, the legendary running back for the Cleveland Browns. Davis helped Syracuse win its only national title, defeating the University of Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Although he was named the game’s MVP, he wasn’t allowed to attend the awards banquet because of his color. 

When he won the Heisman Trophy, President John K. Kennedy congratulated him. “Imagine,” Davis said, “a president wanting to shake hands with me.” 

He was the first overall pick in the NFL draft, and the Cleveland Browns signed him to a record rookie contract to play in the same backfield with Brown, his childhood hero. But before he could compete on the field, doctors discovered he had leukemia. After his cancer went into remission, he practiced again with the Browns, but he was forced to reenter the hospital the following spring. 

On May 18, 1963, he died in his sleep at the age of 23. Thousands attended the funeral in Elmira, including members of the Browns team that he never played for. 

“Ernie Davis transcended racism. That was his essence. That was his greatness,” Jim Brown told Sports Illustrated. 

“Some people say I am unlucky. I don’t believe it,” Davis wrote in The Saturday Evening Post. “When I look back, I can’t call myself unlucky. … In these years I have had more than most people get in a lifetime.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

The winner of Tuesday’s runoff election between Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens and Jenifer Branning likely won’t be declared until next week, according to an official with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office.

Elizabeth Jonson, a spokesperson for the agency tasked with administering Mississippi’s elections, told Mississippi Today on Wednesday that there are currently more outstanding ballots than the current vote spread between Kitchens and Branning, who are vying for a seat on the state’s highest court.

“So voters probably won’t know the result until next week,” Jonson said. 

With 97% of the vote reported on Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported Branning narrowly led the race with 50.5%, and Kitchens trailed with 49.5%. About 1,200 votes currently separate the two candidates in the unofficial tabulations.

The tight race could come down to absentee and affidavit ballots, some of which are still flowing into local election offices. State law currently allows for election workers to process mail-in absentee ballots for up to five days after Election Day, as long as the ballot was postmarked by the date of the election.

READ MORE: Supreme Court race remains too close to call, final result could hinge on absentee and affidavit ballots

Gov. Tate Reeves declared Thursday and Friday state holidays because of Thanksgiving, so state and most county employees, which includes local election workers, are not required to work on those days.

Both Branning and Kitchens in separate social media posts seemed to acknowledge that the close vote margin will likely lead to several additional days of vote counting. 

“Thank you to everyone who helped our campaign in yesterday’s runoff election,” Branning wrote. “While we are still waiting on the remaining votes to be counted, I’m grateful and appreciative of your support.” 

Kitchens similarly said the race was too close to call and that his supporters may not have an answer until next week. 

“There are thousands of votes left to count, but we remain hopeful and prayerful,” Kitchens wrote. 

This year’s delayed result is similar to a 2020 election for another central district seat on the Supreme Court. After 16 days of vote-counting in a close race, then-appointed Supreme Court Justice Kenny Griffis was declared the winner over state Court of Appeals Judge Latrice Westbrooks.

Kitchens, a Crystal Springs native, was first elected to the court in 2008. He is a former district attorney and private practice lawyer. He is largely considered one of two centrist members of the court. 

Branning, a Philadelphia resident, is a private practice attorney who was first elected to the Legislature in 2015. She is challenging Kitchens and pledging to ensure that “conservative values” are always represented in the judiciary, but she stopped short of endorsing policy positions, which Mississippi judicial candidates are prohibited from doing.

Counties have until Dec. 6 to certify election results and transmit them to the Secretary of State’s office.

Live election results: Mississippi Supreme Court, Court of Appeals runoffs

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Ole Miss is a whopping 26-point favorite. A State victory likely would be the biggest upset in Egg Bowl history. As the Clevelands discuss, despite the old saying that you can throw the records out in a rivalry game, the better team almost always wins. The most memorable Egg Bowls are discussed at length.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.