Opening Bid :
Current Bid:
Reserve Amount:

You are the current high bidder on this lot with a secret maximum bid of %bidPretty%.
(%bidBP% w/Buyer's Premium (BP) Buyer's Premium).


Notice: You are the current high bidder on this lot, but the next highest bid is within one increment. That means that any additional bids on this lot will outbid you. To increase your chances of winning, enter your highest maximum bid.

You are the current high bidder on this lot with a secret maximum bid of %bidPretty%.
(%bidBP% w/Buyer's Premium (BP) Buyer's Premium).

You are the current high bidder on this lot.
(Sign-In to see your maximum bid)

Your secret maximum bid of %bidPretty% has been outbid.

Your secret maximum bid of %bidPretty% does not meet the reserve.

(Sign-In to see your maximum bid)

Your secret maximum bid does not meet the reserve.
(Sign-In to see your maximum bid)

Lot
80052

1962 Ernie Davis Signed Cleveland Browns Rookie Contract....

2012 August 2 Vintage Sports Collectibles Platinum Night Signature Auction- Baltimore #7057

 
Sold for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Auction Ended On: Aug 2, 2012
Item Activity: 5 Internet/mail/phone bidders Number of Bidders
783 page views
Location: B & O Warehouse, 6th Floor
Camden Yard Banquet Room
333 West Camden Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Description:
"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"
1962 Ernie Davis Signed Cleveland Browns Rookie Contract. The words of poet John Greenleaf Whittier were penned a century before a young Ernie Davis established himself as the most exciting collegiate athlete in America, but he may as well have been commenting on the tragedy that robbed the sport of football of a budding legend. It's all the more fitting that Whittier stood as one of the most outspoken abolitionists of the mid-Nineteenth Century, as Davis had faced the same breed of ugly injustice en route to becoming the first African-American to claim Heisman Trophy honors following a stellar 1961 senior class season at Syracuse.

Despite his enormous talents, Davis was a reluctant choice by the Washington Redskins as the first pick in the 1962 NFL draft, team owner George Preston Marshall having been threatened with revocation of his stadium lease if his team roster remained the only one in the League lacking a black player. It was reported that Davis himself refused service to Marshall, stating "I won't play for the S.O.B." Davis' disappointment quickly turned to elation, however, as Hall of Fame executive Paul Brown orchestrated a trade to bring Davis to Cleveland, where he would share a backfield with his personal hero Jim Brown, a man he had honored at Syracuse by reprising his feared Double-Fours jersey. Brown would wear number "44," and Davis number "45." It would be pure magic.

Presented is a thrilling five-page addendum expanding upon the terms of the December 28, 1961 contract establishing the historic pairing. The text addresses the terms of Davis' "Outside Employment," a bit of legal wrangling which allowed the Browns to circumvent NFL salary policy and make Davis the highest paid rookie in League history. The final page features flawless signatures from "Ernest Davis," team owner "Art Modell," and general manager "Paul E. Brown." It is, to the best of our knowledge, the only Ernie Davis NFL paperwork ever to surface in the collecting hobby.

Just months after this document's execution, Davis would receive the fatal diagnosis of acute monocytic leukemia. He would make a single public appearance at Cleveland Stadium during a 1962 pre-season game, but he never played a single professional down before his passing in May of 1963. The Browns nonetheless retired Davis' number "45" jersey, a fitting tribute to The Express. Joining the contract addendum is a grouping of four letters from legal counsel involved in the contract negotiations, none signed by sporting figures. Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication.




View large image(s) of this item

Service and Handling Description: Flat Material, Small (view shipping information)

Sales Tax information  |  Terms and Conditions

Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments

Find Auction Prices for Comparable Items:

Photographs:
Sign-in or Join (free & quick) to see the full image






Floor Auctions: Live & Coming Soon

Entertainment

05/30/2013

Nature & Science

06/02/2013

US Coins

06/05/2013

Arms & Armor

06/09/2013

Silver

06/14/2013

Fine & Rare Wine

06/14/2013

Decorative Art

06/15/2013

Historical

06/22/2013

Old West

06/22/2013

US Coins

07/11/2013

Heritage Membership

764,719 bidder-members
$899,899,743 sold in the last year

 

Quality Consignments Wanted

Only 17 days left to consign to the 2013 August 1 - 2 Sports Platinum Night Auction - Chicago!

 

E-mail Rob Rosen or call
1-800-872-6467 x1767

We expect to have one of our Consignment Directors visiting your area soon. Please call to arrange an appointment.

Video Video: Why Consign?

Testimonials:
Very courteous, pleasant and professional!
G.N. ,
Jacksonville, FL

 

In The News

Visit Heritage on the Road


Hall of Fame