Oct. 5, 1962 - Ernie Davis of the Cleveland Browns, the nation’s top collegiate football player of 1961, has leukemia, but it is in a “perfect state of remission,” a physician said today, and Ernie is physically able to start workouts with the team. Davis has been undergoing treatment and traditional forms of medication since Aug. 1, when the disease was first diagnosed. “Ernie Davis has had a form of leukemia,” stated Dr. Austin S. Weisberger, professor of medicine at Western Reserve University and an outstanding authority on blood disorders. Dr. Weisberger, who has been in charge of treatment for the former all-America halfback from Syracuse, added: “He has responded extremely well to therapy and medication. At the present time, his blood findings are entirely normal. As long as he remains in the perfect state of remission, I see no reason why he cannot play professional football.” The Browns surrendered a lot of cash and valuable players to get Davis. Davis, 22, rewrote virtually every record set by Jim Brown, the Syracuse fullback who had preceded Ernie at the upstate New York school. Davis signed a three-year contract for $65,000 and received a $15,000 bonus.
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