This sports star was a player I watched and cheered and envied and, at times, questioned in my mind! Imagine, being paid a good salary to do something I liked to do almost as much as I liked fishing and eating pomegranates—SPORTS! And, I think I would have liked to have been in movies, too!
JIM BROWN, 1936— 2023…..Jim Brown was a fullback for the Cleveland Browns, 1957—1965, and was the League’s leading rusher for all but one of those nine seasons. I remember him as being almost impossible to stop, especially if you were a lone tackler! I also remember being shocked when he announced his retirement while probably still at the height of his playing days and certainly at the top of yearly statistics.
Remarkably, he played in 118 “straight” games and was voted Most Valuable Player that final season. He had speed; he had endurance; he had power, being once called “a wrecking ball.” And it was strange to me to see how hard it was to bring him down, and yet he was one of the slowest runners to get back up off the turf and walk back to the huddle! I once heard him tell an inquiring reporter: “Why waste energy getting up or going back to the play calling?” He would refuse to go down, would use the “stiff-arm” technique when tacklers approached in open fields, and could sprint like a track star as lithe defensive backs tried to run him down!
At Manhasset High School, he was a multisports star and averaged 14.9 yards per carry in football. At Syracuse, Brown was All-American in both lacrosse and football and was actually thought by most to be the greatest lacrosse player in the history of the NCAA.
He also found time to “earn a letter” in basketball.
There are many more accolades and awards that were bestowed upon Jim Brown and also some rough moments in his life that brought him criticism, but let’s just close by saying that JIM BROWN was not only one of the greatest athletes ever but also a film hero (more than 30 movies), civil rights activist, a leader in the cause to curb gang violence, and founded “Amer-I-Can” to help disadvantaged inner-city youths and ex-convicts.
From what I can gather from other readings, Jim Brown walked away from football while still in his prime to have more time to devote to his film making, his “social program workings,” and his activism.
He played at about 6’ 2” height and right around 230 pounds and never seemed to vary from that! Nine years straight he was selected to the “Pro-Bowl” and was “All-Pro” eight years. When he retired, he was the all-time leading rusher with 12,312 yards and 126 touchdowns. He was also an outstanding receiver with 262 receptions for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns. In 1971 his jersey number “32” was retired by Cleveland, and the same year he entered the Hall of Fame.
JIM BROWN was 87 years of age when he recently passed on peacefully with his wife at his side.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.