Jim Brown

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James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 to 1965. Widely considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown was selected to a Pro Bowl and All-Pro team every season he was in the league, and was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times. Brown won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons, and by the time he retired, he held most major rushing records. In 1999, he was named the greatest professional football player ever by The Sporting News and the Associated Press.<ref name="TSN">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":33" />

Brown earned unanimous All-America honors playing college football at Syracuse University, where he was an all-around player for the Syracuse Orangemen football team. The team later retired his number 44 jersey, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also widely considered one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Premier Lacrosse League MVP Award is named in his honor.<ref>PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH LACROSSE LEGEND & NFL HALL OF FAMER JIM BROWN Template:Webarchive – via Premier Lacrosse League (2022). Retrieved July 12, 2022.</ref> Brown also excelled in basketball and track and field.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In his professional career, Brown carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns, which were all records when he retired. He averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game and is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career. Brown was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. He was named to the NFL's 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, composed of the best players in NFL history. Brown was honored at the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as the greatest college football player of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His number 32 jersey is retired by the Browns.

Shortly before the end of his football career, Brown became an actor. He retired at the peak of his football career to pursue an acting career. He obtained 53 acting credits and several leading roles throughout the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has been described as Hollywood's first black action hero and his role in the 1969 film 100 Rifles made cinematic history for featuring interracial love scenes.<ref name=foxjimbrown>Template:Cite news</ref>

Brown was one of the few athletes, and among the most prominent African Americans, to speak out on racial issues as the civil rights movement was growing in the 1950s. He participated in the Cleveland Summit after Muhammad Ali faced imprisonment for refusing to enter the draft for the Vietnam War, and he founded the Black Economic Union to help promote economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses. Brown later launched a foundation focused on diverting at-risk youth from violence through teaching them life skills, through which he facilitated the Watts truce between rival street gangs in Los Angeles.

Early life

Brown was born on St. Simons Island, Georgia, to Swinton Brown, a professional boxer, and his wife, Theresa, a homemaker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He attended Manhasset Secondary School in Manhasset, New York. Brown earned 13 letters playing football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and running track.<ref name=Holden>Template:Cite news</ref>

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In football, he led Nassau County in scoring twice—in 1951 and 1952—and matched that feat in basketball, topping the county in scoring in both 1952 and 1953. His 38.1 points per game average in 1953 is still a Nassau County record.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":19" />

His athletic prowess was such that he was even scouted by the New York Yankees and offered a minor league contract.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Curious to test his abilities further, he prioritized baseball that spring and found some success pitching and playing first base, but decided his skills would not get him to the major leagues and ultimately sent his regrets to then-Yankees manager Casey Stengel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

College career

Brown in his senior season at Manhasset High School in New York

Lawyer and Syracuse University lacrosse star Kenneth Molloy, who was involved with the lacrosse program at Manhasset, was a benefactor of Brown and persuaded his alma mater to admit him, which was difficult because according to Molloy, "[Syracuse] did not want black athletes."<ref name="NYT83">Template:Cite news</ref> Brown was the only African-American player on the football team as a freshman in 1953, and promises of a full scholarship in the second half of the year were not honored; Molloy personally financed and fundraised for Brown's first year at the school.<ref name="NYT83"/> He endured racist taunts while he was at Syracuse. He was treated differently from teammates: he was housed in a non-athlete dormitory, warned against dating Caucasian women, and the coaching staff attempted to put him at other positions, including punter, lineman, and wide receiver.<ref name="Dorinson"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Carlson P.S.">Template:Cite news</ref>

As a sophomore at Syracuse, Brown was the second-leading rusher on the team.<ref name="College Football at Sports-Reference.com">Template:Cite web</ref> As a junior, he rushed for 676 yards (5.2 per carry). In his senior year in 1956, Brown was a consensus first-team All-American. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and set school records for highest season rush average (6.2) and most rushing touchdowns in a single game (6).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ran for 986 yards—third-most in the country despite Syracuse playing only eight games—and scored 14 touchdowns.<ref name="College Football at Sports-Reference.com"/> In the regular-season finale, a 61–7 rout of Colgate, he rushed for 197 yards, scored six touchdowns, and kicked seven extra points for a then-NCAA-record 43 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Then in the Cotton Bowl, he rushed for 132 yards, scored three touchdowns, and kicked three extra points, but a blocked extra point after Syracuse's third touchdown was the difference as TCU won 28–27.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In addition to his football accomplishments, he excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse.<ref name="Carlson P.S."/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a sophomore, he was the second-leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg), and earned a letter on the track team. In 1955, he finished in fifth place in the decathlon at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball, and was named a second-team All-American in lacrosse. His senior year, he was named a first-team All-American in lacrosse with 43 goals in 10 games, tying for first in national scoring with Jack Daut, and was the first African-American to play in the North–South All Star Game.<ref name=":11" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown was so dominant in the game, that lacrosse rules were changed requiring a lacrosse player to keep their stick in constant motion when carrying the ball (instead of holding it close to his body).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> There is currently no rule in lacrosse that requires a player to keep their stick in motion. He is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite news.</ref> The JMA Wireless Dome has an 800 square-foot tapestry depicting Brown in football and lacrosse uniforms with the words "Greatest Player Ever".<ref name="mcphee20100322">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

While in college, Brown participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.<ref name="ROTC">Template:Cite news</ref> After graduating he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.<ref name="ROTC"/> During his time in the NFL, Brown continued his military commitment as a member of the United States Army Reserve.<ref name="ROTC"/> He served for four years and was discharged with the rank of captain.<ref name="ROTC"/>

Professional career

Brown on a 1960 Topps collectible card

In addition to being taken in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns with the sixth overall selection, Brown was selected in the ninth round of the 1957 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals with the 68th overall selection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the ninth game of his rookie season, against the Los Angeles Rams he rushed for 237 yards,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> setting an NFL single-game record that stood unsurpassed for 14 yearsTemplate:Efn and a rookie record that remained for 40 years until Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals rushed for 246 yards in a week 15 game against the Tennessee Oilers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Brown broke the single-season rushing record in 1958, gaining 1,527 yards in the 12-game season, shattering the previous NFL mark of 1,146 yards set by Steve Van Buren in 1949, as well as most rushing yards per game in a season, with 127.3.<ref name=58Stats>"1958 Official National Football Statistics", Pro All Stars 1959 Pro Football. New York: Maco Publishing, 1959; pp. 90–91.</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> In this MVP season, Brown led all players with a staggering 17 touchdowns scored, beating his nearest rival, Baltimore Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry, by 8.<ref name=58Stats />

After nine years in the NFL, he departed as the league's record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the first player to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league's expansion to a 16-game season in 1978 and 17-game season in 2021 (Brown's first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games).<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Brown's record of scoring 100 touchdowns in only 93 games stood until LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 89 games during the Template:Nfly season. Brown holds the record for total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (five: 1958–1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career.<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com"/> In addition to his rushing, Brown was a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also adding another 628 yards returning kickoffs.<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com"/> In every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl, and he left the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Brown in Cleveland

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Brown was cognizant of the physical toll exacted by carrying the ball as a lead running back and began foreshadowing an early retirement as early as 1960, when the 24-year old Brown told a journalist, "I've carried the ball 749 times in three years with the Browns. I get the same question everywhere I go — will so much ball-carrying and the tackling that results shorten my career? Will I end up my career groggy or, even worse, punchy as a punch-drunk prizefighter? ... I hope I'm smart enough to quit the game before somebody has to tell me I'm finished. I want to leave feeling I can still do the job. That's the way the great quarterback Otto Graham finished with the Browns. He most likely had several good seasons left... But Otto quit while he was on top. I hope I have the good sense to follow the example."<ref>Jimmy Brown with Chuck Heaton, "I'll Never Get Punchy," in Pro Football Stars, Greenwich, CT: Whitestone Publications, 1960; p. 11.</ref>

Brown's 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remains a Cleveland franchise record. It is currently the oldest franchise record for rushing yards out of all 32 NFL teams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His average of 133 yards per game that season is exceeded only by O. J. Simpson's 1973 season. Brown led the league in rushing a record eight times. He was also the first NFL player to rush for over 10,000 yards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was very difficult to tackle (shown by his all-time record of 5.22 yards per carry), often requiring more than one defender to bring him down.<ref>Schwartz, Larry. "Jim Brown Was Hard To Bring Down", ESPN. [1]. Retrieved July 17, 2011.</ref> Brown was famous for his stiff arm and combined speed, power and relentless endurance as a rusher.<ref name="AP">Template:Cite news</ref>

After winning his third league MVP award in 1965,<ref name=goldstein_05192023/> Brown retired in July 1966 at age 30 while still in top form. He was in England for the shooting of the movie The Dirty Dozen. He had expected to return to the Browns afterwards, but retired when team owner Art Modell threatened him with fines for missing training camp.<ref name=goldstein_05192023/><ref name=jbarcptof>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=jbrfpfb>Template:Cite news</ref> Brown held the NFL career rushing record of 12,312 yards until it was broken by Walter Payton on October 7, 1984, during Payton's 10th NFL season. Brown is still the Browns' all-time leading rusher.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2018, he ranked 11th on the all-time rushing list.<ref>"NFL History – Rushing Leaders" Template:Webarchive, ESPN, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.</ref> Brown's NFL touchdown record would stand until 1994 when Jerry Rice surpassed him with his 127th touchdown.

During Brown's career, Cleveland won the NFL championship in 1964 and were runners-up in 1957 and 1965, his rookie and final season, respectively. In the 1964 championship game, Brown rushed 27 times for 114 yards and caught 3 passes for 37.<ref name=":31">Template:Cite web</ref>

Brown never missed a game in his entire career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Interestingly, he refused to drink water during games, believing it would make him feel satisfied and diminish his drive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Acting career

Brown appeared in many movies and was at times described as a black Superman or a black John Wayne.<ref name=goldstein_05192023/><ref name=":33">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> While not considered a gifted actor, he helped to expand the range of roles available to black actors.<ref name=layden_05192023>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Early films

Brown began his acting career before the 1964 season, playing a buffalo soldier in a Western action film called Rio Conchos.Template:Sfn The film premiered at Cleveland's Hippodrome theater on October 23, with Brown and many of his teammates in attendance. The reaction was lukewarm. Brown, one reviewer said, was a serviceable actor, but the movie's overcooked plotting and implausibility amounted to "a vigorous melodrama for the unsqueamish."<ref name="Brown in Conchos review">Template:Cite news</ref>

In early 1966, Brown was shooting his second film in London.Template:Sfn MGM's The Dirty Dozen cast Brown as Robert Jefferson, one of 12 convicts sent to France during World War II to assassinate German officers meeting at a castle near Rennes in Brittany before the D-Day invasion. Production delays due to bad weather meant he missed at least the first part of training camp on the campus of Hiram College, which annoyed Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, who threatened to fine Brown $1,500 (Template:Inflation) for every week of camp he missed.Template:Sfn Brown, who had previously said that 1966 would be his last season, the final year of a three-year contract,<ref name=bbksoff>Template:Cite news</ref> announced his retirement, instead.<ref name=jbarcptof/><ref name=jbrfpfb/>Template:Sfn

Leading man

Brown and Janet MacLachlan in Tick, Tick, Tick (1970)

MGM cast Brown in his first lead role in The Split (1968), based on a Parker novel by Donald E. Westlake. He was paid $125,000 for the role.<ref name="jim">Template:Cite news</ref> Brown followed it with Riot (1969), a prison film for MGM. Both it and The Split were solid hits at the box office. Biographer Mike Freeman credits Brown with becoming "the first black action star", due to roles such as the Marine captain he portrayed in the hit 1968 film Ice Station Zebra.<ref>Freeman, Mike. Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero Template:Webarchive, page 17 (HarperCollins 2007).</ref>

Brown went to 20th Century Fox for 100 Rifles (1969). Brown was billed over co stars Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds and had a love scene with Welch, one of the first interracial love scenes and the first in a major Hollywood movie.<ref name=goldstein_05192023/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Raquel Welch reflected on the scene in Spike Lee's Jim Brown: All-American.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For this role, Brown was paid $200,000 and received five percent of the film's box office, becoming one of the highest paid black actors.<ref name=foxjimbrown />

Co-starring

Brown starred with fellow NFL star Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly in Three the Hard Way which was released in 1974.<ref>Eshe Magazine, September 23, 2020 - Living Legend Jim Brown Speaks About How He And Fred Williamson Changed Hollywood By David Jordan Jr Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>National Football League, Feb 17, 2016 - Top 5 Jim Brown movie performances, 3) Three the Hard Way (1974) Template:Webarchive</ref> He would later star with Williamson, Kelly again with Lee Van Cleef in Take a Hard Ride, a western which was released the following year.<ref>Rotten Tomatoes - TAKE A HARD RIDE, CAST & CREW Template:Webarchive</ref> The Williamson, Brown and Kelly trio would again appear together with Richard Roundtree in One Down, Two to Go, a 1982 actioner.<ref>Film Affinity - One Down, Two to Go, Cast Template:Webarchive</ref>

Later acting career

His 1980s appearances were mostly on television. Brown appeared in some TV shows including Knight Rider in the season-three premiere episode "Knight of the Drones". Brown appeared alongside fellow former football player Joe Namath on The A-Team episode "Quarterback Sneak".<ref>"Quarterback Sneak" Template:Webarchive (episode of The A-Team) at the Internet Movie Database</ref> Brown also appeared on CHiPs, episodes one and two, in season three, as a pickpocket on roller skates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987's The Running Man, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, as Fireball,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and had a cameo in the spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Brown appeared in Original Gangstas (1996)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Mars Attacks! (1996)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Sucker Free City (2004)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and played a defensive coach, Montezuma Monroe, in Any Given Sunday (1999).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Civil rights work

Brown was one of the few athletes to speak out on racial issues in the 1950s as the civil rights movement was growing.<ref name=goldstein_05192023/> He was one of the most prominent African American athletes to engage in civil rights activism, and he called on other African American athletes to become involved in similar initiatives off the field.<ref name="GuardianObit">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1967, Brown, alongside Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Carl Stokes, were all members of the Cleveland Summit, a meeting with Muhammad Ali held with the intention of convincing the four to rally behind and recruit others to help Ali's cause of civil rights in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Because Ali was a "pariah" in American society at the time because of his opposition to the Vietnam War and refusal to enter the draft, his boxing license had been revoked, and he faced up to five years in prison. For Brown and the other participants to stand with Ali in support of him and his position consequently put "their reputations and their careers" at risk.<ref name="NBS">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="PD-June2022">Template:Cite news</ref> The Cleveland Summit was later called "a significant turning point for the role of the athlete in society" and "one of the most important civil rights acts in sports history", as well as a predecessor of the 21st century protest movement initiated by Colin Kaepernick.<ref name="NBS"/>

In 1966, Brown founded the Negro Industrial Economic Union, later known as the Black Economic Union (BEU), to help promote economic opportunities for minority owned businesses.<ref name="Chicago Defender">Template:Cite web</ref> Brown later stated in a 1968 Ebony interview, "We've got to stop wasting all our energy and money marching and picketing and going things like camping-down in Washington on a Poor People's Campaign...We've got to get off the emotional stuff and do something that will bring about real change. We've got to have industries and commercial enterprises and build our own sustaining economic base. Then we can face white folks man-to-man and we can deal."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The BEU secured loans and grants, including from the Ford Foundation, to support community initiatives related to food, medicines and farm and economic ventures in specific counties, starting with Marshall County, Mississippi.<ref name="Dorinson"/> Because of Brown's economic advocacy for the African American community, Richard Nixon expressed support for black capitalism in his campaign in the 1968 United States presidential election and received an endorsement from Brown.<ref name="Dorinson"/> In 1988, Brown founded the Amer-I-Can Foundation, an organization that sought to divert gang members and prisoners from violence by teaching them life skills.<ref name=goldstein_05192023>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="OPB">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Amer-I-Can">Template:Cite web</ref> Through the foundation, Brown helped establish the Watts truce between rival street gangs in Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Perceiving Brown and other outspoken African-American athletes as a threat, the Federal Bureau of Investigation monitored Brown and his organizations. Files declassified in 2003 showed that the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and several police departments had monitored Brown and the Black Economic Union, attempting to smear the group as a source of Communist and radical Muslim extremism and collecting information to damage Brown's reputation.<ref name="Dorinson">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Other post-football activities

Brown at an autograph signing in 2004

Brown posed in the nude for the September 1974 issue of Playgirl magazine, and was one of the rare celebrities to allow full-frontal nude pictures to be used.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown also worked as a color analyst on NFL telecasts for CBS in 1978, teaming with Vin Scully and George Allen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1983, 17 years after retiring from professional football, Brown mused about coming out of retirement to play for the Los Angeles Raiders when it appeared that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris would break Brown's all-time rushing record.<ref name=baddream>Template:Cite news</ref> Brown disliked Harris' style of running, criticizing the Steelers' running back's tendency to run out of bounds, a marked contrast to Brown's approach of fighting for every yard and taking on the approaching tackler.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Eventually, Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke the record on October 7, 1984, with Brown having ended thoughts of a comeback. Harris, who retired after the 1984 season after playing eight games with the Seattle Seahawks, fell short of Brown's mark. Following Harris's last season, in that January, a challenge between Brown and Harris in a 40-yard dash was nationally televised. Brown, at 48 years old, was certain he could beat Harris, though Harris was only 34 years old and just ending his elite career. Harris clocked in at 5.16 seconds, and Brown in at 5.72 seconds, pulling up in towards the end of the race clutching his hamstring.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1965, Brown was the first black televised boxing announcer when he announced a televised boxing match in the United States, for the Terrell–Chuvalo fight,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Hauser, Thomas Template:Webarchive Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, Open Road Media, 2012, page 145. Retrieved August 19, 2018.</ref> and is also credited with then first suggesting a career in boxing promotion to Bob Arum.<ref>Iole, Kevin Template:Webarchive "How NFL legend Jim Brown pushed Bob Arum into boxing promotion", Yahoo! Sports, March 28, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2018.</ref>

Brown at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 2014

Brown's autobiography, published in 1989 by Zebra Books, was titled Out of Bounds and was co-written with Steve Delsohn.<ref name=LAT>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a subject of the 1971 book Jim: The Author's Self-Centered Memoir of the Great Jim Brown written by James Toback.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1993, Brown was hired as a color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a role he occupied for the first six pay-per-view events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, Brown initiated a lawsuit against Sony and EA Sports for using his likeness in the Madden NFL video game series. He claimed that he "never signed away any rights that would allow his likeness to be used".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2008 until his death, Brown served as an executive advisor to the Browns. In that capacity he helped to build relationships with the team's players and to further enhance the NFL's wide range of sponsored programs through the team's player programs department.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 29, 2013, Brown was named a special advisor to the Browns.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown became a part-owner of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, joining a group of investors in the purchase of the team in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On October 11, 2018, Brown along with Kanye West met with President Donald Trump to discuss the state of America, among other topics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Criticized by the black community for the meeting, Brown said that Trump was the sitting president and "we can't ignore that seat and just call names of the person that's sitting in it". Brown called him "accessible", and said that the president was not a racist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Assault allegations

Brown was arrested at least seven times for assault, mainly against women.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the era when the incidents occurred, prominent men were usually not scrutinized for reported offenses against women.<ref name=goldstein_05192023/> He was never found guilty of a major crime;<ref name=goldstein_05192023/> in most of the cases, the women refused to press charges after calling the police.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1965, Brown was arrested in his hotel room for assault and battery against 18-year-old Brenda Ayres; he was later acquitted of those charges.<ref name="Jet-1965" /> A year later, he fought paternity allegations that he fathered her child.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1968, Brown was charged with assault with intent to commit murder after model Eva Bohn-Chin was found beneath the balcony of Brown's second-floor apartment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The charges were later dismissed after Bohn-Chin refused to cooperate with the prosecutor's office. Brown was also ordered to pay a $300 fine for striking a deputy sheriff involved in the investigation during the incident. In Brown's autobiography, he stated that Bohn-Chin was angry and jealous over an affair he had been having with Gloria Steinem, and this argument is what led to the "misunderstanding with the police".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1970, Brown was found not guilty of assault and battery, the charges stemming from a road-rage incident that had occurred in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1975, Brown was convicted of misdemeanor battery for beating and choking his golfing partner, Frank Snow. He was sentenced to one day in jail, two years' probation, and a fine of $500.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1985, Brown was charged with raping a 33-year-old woman.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The charges were later dismissed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1986, he was arrested for assaulting his fiancée Debra Clark.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Clark refused to press charges, and he was released.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

According to several victims and witnesses, who were interviewed for the 2022 documentary series Secrets of Playboy, Brown brutally raped and assaulted numerous women at the Playboy Mansion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"Bill Cosby assaulted teen at Playboy Mansion, jury finds" Template:Webarchive, BBC News, June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2023.</ref> These alleged incidents occurred from the late 1970s into the 1990s.<ref>Beard, Lanford, "Secrets of Playboy' Recounts Horrific Stories About Hugh Hefner's Alleged A-List 'Power Predators'Women have stepped forward in A&E's docuseries to share hideous allegations of sexual assault by Hugh Hefner's famous friends Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, NFL player Jim Brown and more Template:Webarchive," People magazine, March 7, 2022</ref> According to the documentary, as well as other sources and numerous interviews,<ref>M. Roque,The Nation, February 29, 2022, "Downfall of a 'Hero'? Or will it forgotten: Jim Brown, Hero-Worship, and Toxic Masculinity,"</ref> other perpetrators of rape and assault at the Playboy Mansion included Roman Polanski and Bill Cosby.<ref>June, Sophia, "The Most Disturbing Secrets We Learned from the Playboy Documentary," February 2, 2022: https://www.nylon.com/life/the-most-disturbing-secrets-we-learned-from-the-playboy-documentary Template:Webarchive</ref>

In 1999, Brown was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats toward his wife Monique. According to Brown, "The only time [we] ever have an argument is during [her menstrual period]". Later that year, he was found guilty of vandalism for smashing her car with a shovel.<ref name=saraceno_>Template:Cite web</ref> He was sentenced to three years' probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and 400 hours of community service or 40 hours on a work crew along with a $1,800 fine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Brown ignored the terms of his sentence and in 2000 was sentenced to six months in jail, which he began serving in 2002 after refusing the court-ordered counseling and community service.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was released after three months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

"There is no excuse for violence," said Brown in 2015.<ref name=layden_05192023/> "There is never a justification for anyone to impose themselves on someone else. And it will always be incorrect when it comes to a man and a woman, regardless of what might have happened. You need to be man enough to take the blow. That is always the best way. Do not put your hands on a woman."<ref name=layden_05192023/>

Personal life

Brown in 2000

Brown married his first wife Sue Brown (née Jones) in September 1959.<ref name="Jet-1965">Template:Cite journal</ref> She sued for divorce in 1968, charging him with "gross neglect". Together, they had three children, twins born 1960, and a son born 1962.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Their divorce was finalized in 1972.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Brown was ordered to pay $2,500 per month in alimony and $100 per week for child support.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In December 1973, Brown proposed to 18-year-old Diane Stanley, a Clark College student he met in Acapulco, Mexico, in April of that year.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They broke off their engagement in 1974.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Brown married his second wife, Monique, in 1997; they had two children.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Death

Brown died of natural causes at the age of 87 on May 18, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles. He died with his wife by his side.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Tributes from the sports world and beyond soon poured in, with former NFL running back Barry Sanders posting on Twitter that "You can't underestimate the impact Jim Brown had on the NFL." Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards, wrote "He is and was a true legend in sports and in the community using his platform to help others." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said "Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to ever step on any athletic field — but also a cultural figure who helped promote change." LeBron James, an NBA star, wrote in tribute that "We lost a hero today. Rest in Paradise to the legend Jim Brown. I hope every black athlete takes the time to educate themselves about this incredible man and what he did to change all of our lives. We all stand on your shoulders Jim Brown." Barack Obama, the 44th president and the first black president of the United States, wrote, "I was too young to remember Jim Brown's playing days, but I knew his legacy. One of the greatest football players ever, he was also an actor and activist – speaking out on civil rights, and pushing other black athletes to do the same."<ref name="AP"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In other media

Darrin Dewitt Henson played Brown in the 2008 sports drama The Express: The Ernie Davis Story. Brown was portrayed by David Ajala in the London cast of the 2013 play One Night in Miami<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and by Aldis Hodge in the subsequent 2021 film adaptation of the same name.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Hodge, he heard "through the grapevine" that Brown - the only subject of the film alive at the film's release - liked the film and approved of Hodge's portrayal of him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sporting accolades

Brown's memorable professional career led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. His football accomplishments at Syracuse garnered him a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown was inducted in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1983.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Helmet signed by Brown

Brown is still the only player in history to win the NFL Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to winning the NFL MVP in 1957, 1958, and 1965, Brown was named league MVP by the Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, Maxwell Football Club, and DC Touchdown Club in 1963. Brown is the only NFL player to average 100 rushing yards per game for their career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 118 career games, he averaged 104.3 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry; only Barry Sanders (99.8 yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> comes close to these totals. For example, Hall of Famer Walter Payton averaged 88 yards per game during his career with a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Emmitt Smith averaged 81.2 yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Brown has held the yards-per-game and yards-per-carry (minimum 1,500 carries) records by a running back since his retirement in 1965.<ref name=":3" />

ESPN's SportsCentury in 1999 ranked Brown fourth among their 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century, trailing only Muhammed Ali, Babe Ruth, and Michael Jordan. That same year, The Sporting News selected him as the greatest football player of all time,<ref name=TSN/> as did the New York Daily News in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On November 4, 2010, Brown was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the second-greatest player in NFL history, behind only Jerry Rice. In November 2019, he was one of two running backs, along with Walter Payton, to be unanimously selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On January 13, 2020, Brown was named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN, during a ceremony at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

NFL career statistics

Legend
AP NFL MVP
Won the NFL championship
NFL record
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Brown in 1961
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Template:Abbr
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
1957 CLE 12 12 202 942 4.7 78.5 16.8 69 9 16 55 3.4 12 1 7
1958 CLE 12 12 257 1,527 5.9 127.3 21.4 65 17 16 138 8.6 46 1 5
1959 CLE 12 12 290 1,329 4.6 110.8 24.2 70 14 24 190 7.9 25 0 2
1960 CLE 12 12 215 1,257 5.8 104.8 17.9 71 9 19 204 10.7 37 2 9
1961 CLE 14 14 305 1,408 4.6 100.6 21.8 38 8 46 459 10.0 77 2 6
1962 CLE 14 14 230 996* 4.3 71.1 16.4 31 13 47 517 11.0 53 5 9
1963 CLE 14 14 291 1,863 6.4 133.1 20.8 80 12 24 268 11.2 83 3 7
1964 CLE 14 14 280 1,446 5.2 103.3 20.0 71 7 36 340 9.4 40 2 6
1965 CLE 14 14 289 1,544 5.3 110.3 20.6 67 17 34 328 9.6 32 4 6
Career 118 118 2,359 12,312 5.2 104.3 20.0 80 106 262 2,499 9.5 83 20 57

* Based on evidence presented from play-by-play reports of five disputed games from that season, the argument is made that Brown did in fact break the 1,000-yard barrier in 1962.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Postseason

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Template:Abbr
Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
1957 CLE 1 1 20 69 3.5 69.0 20.0 29 1 0 0 — 0 0 0
1958 CLE 1 1 7 8 1.1 8.0 7.0 20 0 2 18 9.0 12 0 0
1964 CLE 1 1 27 114 4.2 114.0 27.0 46 0 3 37 12.3 23 0 0
1965 CLE 1 1 12 50 4.2 50.0 12.0 15 0 3 44 14.7 30 0 0
Career 4 4 66 241 3.7 60.3 16.5 46 1 8 99 12.4 30 0 0

Awards and honors

Statue of Jim Brown in front of Huntington Bank Field

NFL

Lacrosse

College

NCAA

Syracuse

Football

Lacrosse

Track and field

High school

Manhasset High School

Track and field

Lacrosse

Baseball

Football

Basketball

Halls of fame

Media

Acting career

Nominations

Records

For details regarding NFL and Cleveland Browns team records at the time of his retirement, please refer to the ‘Career Highlights’ tab on his page at the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, available here

NFL records

  • First player in history with 300 rush attempts in a season: 305 (1961)<ref name=":23" />
  • First player in history to rush for 1,500 yards in a season: 1,527 (1958)<ref name=":23" />
  • First player in history with 2,000 yards from scrimmage in a season: 2,131 (1963)<ref name=":23" />
  • First player in history to reach 100 career rushing touchdowns (1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • First player in history to reach 10,000 career rushing yards (1964)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Fewest games to reach 12,000 career rushing yards: 115<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career rushing yards per game: 104.3<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career yards per rushing attempt by a running back (minimum 1,500 carries): 5.22<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Yards per rushing attempt in a season (minimum 200 attempts): 6.4 (1963)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns: 5 (1957–1959, 1963, 1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in rushing yards: 8 (1957–1961, 1963–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the NFL in rushing yards: 5 (1957–1961)<ref name=":23">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards: 5 (1958–1961, 1964)<ref name=":20" />
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards: 4 (1958–1961)<ref name=":20" />
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage: 6 (1958, 1959, 1961, 1963–1965)<ref name=":21" />
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in rushing attempts: 6 (1958, 1959, 1961, 1963–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career average approximate value per season: 20.33Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Most seasons leading the NFL in approximate value: 5 (1960, 1961, 1963–1965)<ref name=":29" />
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the NFL in approximate value: 3 (1963–1965) (tied with Alan Page and Steve Young)<ref name=":29" />
  • Most seasons averaging 100+ yards per game: 7 (1958–1961, 1963–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons averaging 100 yards per game: 4 (1958–1961)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most games with 4+ touchdowns: 6<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a single half: 4 (November 18, 1962) (tied with Roland Hooks, Chuck Muncie, Eric Dickerson, Shaun Alexander, Priest Holmes, and Doug Martin)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Browns franchise records

  • Points scored in a season: 126 (1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career total touchdowns: 126<ref name=":1" />
  • Most seasons leading the team in total touchdowns: 7 (1957–1959, 1961, 1963–1965)Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Total touchdowns in a season: 21 (1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career rushing touchdowns: 106<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the team in rushing touchdowns: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":27">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the team in rushing touchdowns: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":27" />
  • Rushing touchdowns in a season: 17 (1958, 1965)<ref name=":2" />
  • Rushing touchdowns in a game: 5 (November 1, 1959)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career rushing yards: 12,312<ref name=":0" />
  • Most seasons leading the team in rushing yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":28">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the team in rushing yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":28" />
  • Rushing yards in a season: 1,863 (1963)<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career all-purpose yards: 15,459<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the team in all-purpose yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the team in all-purpose yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career yards from scrimmage: 14,811<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Most seasons leading the team in yards from scrimmage: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":25">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most consecutive seasons leading the team in yards from scrimmage: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":25" />
  • Yards from scrimmage in a season: 2,131 (1963)<ref name=":24">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career rush attempts: 2,359<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Career rushing yards per attempt: 5.22<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons leading the team in yards per rush attempt: 7 (1957, 1958, 1960, 1962–1965)<ref name=":26">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Yards per rush attempt in a season: 6.4 (1963)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":32">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Most seasons with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":32" />
  • Most seasons with at least 12 rushing touchdowns: 5 (1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965)<ref name=":27" />
  • Most seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards: 7Template:Efn (1958–1961, 1963–1965)<ref name=":1" />
  • Most seasons with at least 1,500 rushing yards: 3 (1958, 1963, 1965)<ref name=":28" />
  • Most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards: 4 (1958–1961) (tied with Nick Chubb)<ref name=":28" />
  • Most seasons with at least 200 rush attempts: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":32" />
  • Most consecutive seasons with at least 200 rush attempts: 9 (1957–1965)<ref name=":32" />
  • Career games with at least 100 rushing yards: 58<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Consecutive games scoring a touchdown: 10 (1965)<ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Browns NFL Championship recordsTemplate:Efn

  • Career rushing yards: 233<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Rushing yards in a championship game: 114 (1964)<ref name=":31" />
  • Yards from scrimmage in a championship game: 151 (1964)<ref name=":31" />
  • Career rush attempts: 59<ref name="Pro-Football-Reference.com" />
  • Rush attempts in a championship game: 27 (1964)<ref name=":31" />

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1964 Rio Conchos Sergeant Franklyn First film<ref name="TVG"/><ref name="USA1">Template:Cite news</ref>
1965 Valentine's Day Himself 1 episode
1967 I Spy Tommy Episode: "Cops and Robbers"<ref name="TVG"/>
The Dirty Dozen Robert Jefferson <ref name="USA1"/>
1968 Dark of the Sun Ruffo Lead<ref name="Var1"/><ref name="TVG"/>
Ice Station Zebra Captain Leslie Anders <ref name="TVG"/>
The Split McClain Lead<ref name="TVG"/><ref name="Var1"/>
1969 Riot Cully Briston Lead<ref name="TVG"/><ref name="Var1"/>
100 Rifles Sheriff Lyedecker Lead<ref name="AP1">Template:Cite news</ref>
Kenner Roy Kenner Lead<ref name="Var1">Template:Cite news</ref>
1970 ...tick...tick...tick... Jimmy Price Lead<ref name="TVG"/>
El Condor Luke Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
The Grasshopper Tommy Marcott <ref name="Var1"/>
1972 Slaughter Slaughter Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
Black Gunn Gunn Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1973 Slaughter's Big Rip-Off Slaughter Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
The Slams Curtis Hook Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1974 I Escaped from Devil's Island Le Bras Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
Three the Hard Way Jimmy Lait Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1975 Take a Hard Ride Pike Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1977 Police Story Pete Gerard Episode: "End of the Line"<ref name="LAS"/>
Kid Vengeance Isaac <ref name="Var1"/>
1978 Fingers "Dreems" <ref name="Var1"/>
Pacific Inferno Clyde Preston Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1979–1983 CHiPs Romo / Parkdale H.S. Shop Teacher John Casey 3 episodes<ref name="Var1"/>
1982 One Down, Two to Go "J" Lead<ref name="Var1"/>
1983–1984 T. J. Hooker Detective Jim Cody / Frank Barnett 2 episodes<ref name="Var1"/>
1984 Knight Rider C. J. Jackson Episode: "Knight of the Drones"<ref name="TVG"/><ref name="Var1"/>
Cover Up Calvin Tyler Episode: "Midnight Highway"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1985 Lady Blue Stoker pilot episode<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1986 The A-Team "Steamroller" Episode: "Quarterback Sneak"<ref name="Var1"/>
1987 The Running Man "Fireball" <ref name="Var1"/>
1988 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka "Slammer" <ref name="AP1"/><ref name="Var1"/>
1989 L.A. Heat Captain <ref name="TVG"/>
Crack House Steadman <ref name="TVG"/>
1990 Killing American Style "Sunset" <ref name="TVG"/>
Twisted Justice Morris <ref name="TVG"/>
Hammer, Slammer, & Slade "Slammer" <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1992 The Divine Enforcer King <ref name="TVG"/>
1996 Original Gangstas Jake Trevor <ref name="Var1"/>
Mars Attacks! Byron Williams <ref name="AP1"/><ref name="Var1"/>
1998 He Got Game Spivey <ref name="AP1"/>
Small Soldiers Butch Meathook Voice<ref name="TVG">Template:Cite web</ref>
1999 New Jersey Turnpikes Unknown <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Any Given Sunday Montezuma Monroe <ref name="AP1"/>
2002 On the Edge Chad Grant <ref name="TVG"/>
2004 She Hate Me Geronimo Armstrong <ref name="Var1"/>
Sucker Free City Don Strickland <ref name="TVG"/>
2005 Animal Berwell <ref name="TVG"/>
2006 Sideliners Monroe talk show<ref name="LAS">Template:Cite news</ref>
2010 Dream Street Unknown <ref name="Var1"/>
2014 Draft Day Himself Cameo<ref name="Var1"/>
2016 Unsung Hollywood Himself documentary
2019 The Black Godfather Himself documentary<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2023 Outlaw Johnny Black Old man Cameo; posthumous release<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

Notes

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References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

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