Jim Brown, the invincible NFL running back who retired at the height of his illustrious career in the 1960s to become an actor and prominent civil rights activist, has died at the age of 87.
A spokeswoman for Brown’s family said the Football Hall of Famer died peacefully on Thursday at his Los Angeles home with his wife, Monique, by his side.
One of the greatest players in American football history and one of its first big stars, Brown was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1965 and smashed the record books during his brief career from 1957–1965 .
Brown led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL championship in 1964 before retiring at the height of his career to become an actor. He appeared in over 30 films, including “Any Given Sunday” and “The Dirty Dozen”.
An indomitable running back with power, speed and stamina, Brown’s arrival catapulted the sport’s nascent popularity to television. When his playing days were over, Brown became a prominent leader in the black power movement during the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.
In his later years, he worked to end gang violence in Los Angeles and was the founder of the Amer-I-Can program to help disadvantaged youth and ex-offenders.
There was no one on the field quite like Brown, who outrun defenders, away from linebackers and defensive backs and refused to let a single man take him down before turning and turning. He was also famous for using his outstretched arm to keep defenders at arm’s length in the open field or to throw them around like a rag doll.
“My arms were like my shield and my weapon,” Brown said during an interview with NFL Films.
In fact, Brown was unlike any running back that had come before, and some believe there has never been a better running back than Cleveland’s incomparable No. 32. At 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m) and 230 pounds (104 kg), he was dominant, tireless and ruthless, with some of his best plays running around and through his opponents, scoring every yard. While fighting for, several defensive or pursuit drags were shown. holes where they did not exist.
After he’s tackled, Brown will slowly get up and slow run back to his spot… and then dominate the defense again once he has the ball.
