A day at film school

Belichick teaches kids about Davis

Bill Belichick is congratulated by youngsters who enjoyed his message about the film ''The Express,'' the story of Ernie Davis. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH - A powerful chapter in the history of football and race relations was revisited in an unlikely place yesterday - the Showcase Cinema De Lux at Patriot Place - and with a surprise guest leading the discussion, Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Instead of breaking down film of his team's next opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, Belichick was speaking to more than 100 local children about the new Universal film they were about to watch, "The Express."

The soon-to-be-released movie is based on the story of Ernie Davis, who was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy and led Syracuse to its first national championship in 1959. He was the first selection in the 1962 NFL draft, picked by the Cleveland Browns, but died of leukemia before playing a game in the NFL.

Dressed in a tan suit, blue shirt, and bright red tie with soccer balls, footballs, and baseballs on it, Belichick told the youngsters the film had a powerful message they shouldn't forget.

"When he went down to the Cotton Bowl and they won a national championship in 1959, there were some racial problems and a couple incidents both on the field and also in the postgame," Belichick said. "It was very unusual for African-Americans to play college football, and he was the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner. He was a pretty special guy."

The 56-year-old Belichick was 7 when Davis, a speedy running back from Elmira, N.Y., led Syracuse to the national title.

Davis was a force that year, rushing for a team-high 686 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns as coach Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder's Orangemen posted an 11-0 record. The final victory came over second-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl, 23-14.

Belichick told the youngsters that Davis was one of just three African-Americans on the team, while also pointing out that he wore No. 44, the same number that Jim Brown, one of Belichick's close friends, previously donned for the Orangemen.

Belichick, whose appreciation for the history of football is well-documented, told the children that Davis's positive outlook after being diagnosed with leukemia was something to emulate.

"It's a sad story, because he was such a great player and such a great person, and loved by everybody," said Belichick. "He never really got the chance to play pro football.

"When he was diagnosed, he had been asked a couple of times if he felt sorry for himself, was he mad about what happened, was it fair that it was happening to him? I thought what he said was very profound. He said, 'I'm 23 years old, and I think I've lived a fuller life in my 23 years than most people do when they live their entire lives. I've had such great experiences in my life, so I don't have any regrets.'

"That's kind of the way he lived his life. It's really a tremendous story."

Belichick then related part of Davis's story to the present. He told the children that they all will be faced with different forms of adversity, such as what his team is facing right now.

"Every year there is always something that happens that is a little bit of a setback, but the great teams, the great players, the great people in life overcome those things," said Belichick. "They find a way to work through it.

"It comes down to consistency. Each one of us, as an individual, has talent. But it's about doing it every single day. Anybody can go out there and have one good day, one good test, or one good game. The really exceptional ones are those who do it day after day, week after week, year after year, kind of like Ernie Davis did.

"We've had an injury on our team, to [Tom] Brady, that is something our team has to deal with. But we have a lot of other good players on our team, and we have a good team. That's something we're going to have to overcome."

Belichick's message - which was part of the "NFL Day at the Movies" program - seemed to hit home with the youngsters. He received high-fives on his way in and out of the cinema.

"It was inspiring what he said," said Madison Morini, 12, of Foxborough. "He hooked you into the story."