O.J. Simpson

Orenthal James Simpson (1947–2024), nicknamed "the Juice," was an American football player, actor, and media personality. He played 11 seasons in the National Football League, primarily for the Buffalo Bills, and is regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. His football career was later overshadowed by legal troubles, including a civil judgment and criminal charges stemming from the 1994 fatal stabbings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, as well as a later conviction for armed robbery.

Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California, to Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson. Raised by his mother in the Potrero Hill housing projects following his parents' 1952 separation, he wore leg braces until age five due to childhood rickets. As a youth, Simpson joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was arrested three times before a meeting with baseball star Willie Mays encouraged him to reform. He played tackle and fullback for Galileo High School, graduating in 1965.

Beginning his college athletic career at City College of San Francisco, Simpson earned Junior College All-American honors in football and ran track. He transferred to the University of Southern California in 1967 to play for head coach John McKay, leading the nation in rushing in both 1967 and 1968. At USC, he won a national championship, helped set a world record in the 4 × 110-yard sprint relay, and received the 1968 Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award before leaving without a degree.

Selected first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, Simpson played nine seasons with the team. Under head coach Lou Saban, he broke the single-season rushing record in 1973 by becoming the first NFL player to surpass 2,000 yards, earning the league's Most Valuable Player award. He earned five consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1972 to 1976 and led the league in rushing four times. After being traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1978, knee injuries led to his retirement in 1979 with 11,236 career rushing yards.

Inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Simpson expanded his career into entertainment and media. He acted in television and film, notably appearing in the Naked Gun franchise, and worked as a sportscaster for NBC and ABC. Additionally, he served as a corporate spokesman for brands such as Hertz.

In June 1994, Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were killed in Los Angeles, leading to Simpson's arrest after a televised police chase in a white Ford Bronco. His 1995 criminal trial resulted in an acquittal on both murder counts, but a 1997 civil trial held him liable for the deaths and ordered a $33.5 million judgment. In 2007, Simpson was involved in an armed robbery of sports memorabilia in Las Vegas. He was convicted in 2008 of robbery, kidnapping, and assault, serving nine years in a Nevada prison before receiving parole in 2017.

Following his release, Simpson resided in Florida and Nevada until his death from cancer on April 10, 2024. In 2007, he co-authored a book presenting a hypothetical account of the 1994 murders while continuing to maintain his innocence.