Students can enter online through 5 p.m. Sunday for free ticket drawing for Sept. 12 premiere of ‘The Express’ at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre

Students can enter online through 5 p.m. Sunday for free ticket drawing for Sept. 12 premiere of ‘The Express’ at Syracuse’s Landmark TheatreSeptember 03, 2008Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students have an opportunity to enter online in a lottery for 144 free tickets to the premiere of “The Express” on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse.

Registration for the free ticket drawing is open through 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, at http://erniedavis.syr.edu.

Winners will be picked at random and will be contacted by e-mail for ticket distribution information. Students may register one time only for their chance to be part of Syracuse’s Hollywood-style premiere of “The Express.”

“It has always been our intention for our students to be able to participate in the movie premiere,” says SU Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Charles Merrihew, a principal organizer of the premiere. “We are pleased that in fact this participation could be offered at no cost to some of our students.”

Recounting the life and legacy of SU football great Ernie Davis-the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy-the film stars Rob Brown as Davis and Dennis Quaid as Coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Brown, Quaid and other members of the cast-along with Director Gary Fleder and SU football legends Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Art Monk and Don McPherson, and some 40 members of the 1959 national championship team-will be in Syracuse for the premiere festivities.

“The Express” opens in theaters nationwide about a month after the premiere, on Oct. 10.