Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson, who served as a likable broadcaster before being charged with the 1994 murder of his ex-wife and her friend, died after a battle with cancer, his family announced on social media. He was 76.
"On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace," the family posted on Simpson's X account.
On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer.
He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.
-The Simpson Family
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) April 11, 2024
Simpson had been battling prostate cancer for several years. His attorney confirmed the news to TMZ.
He eventually was acquitted in the stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in perhaps the most sensational trials of the past 100 years. The murders were never solved and many are of the belief that, despite the acquittal, Simpson was guilty.
Either way, his life was forever changed as he went from sports hero to almost in hiding. He was later sentenced to 33 years kin prison for a botched hotel robbery in Las Vegas in 2007.
As for football, Simpson was undoubtedly one of football's all-time great running backs — first at USC, then with the NFL's Buffalo Bills.
"He became USC's second Heisman Trophy winner in 1968, earning the most first-place votes (855) in the award's history," wrote the Associated Press. "That season, he established a then-NCAA single-season rushing record with 1,709 yards as he guided the Trojans to a Rose Bowl appearance, where they lost to top-ranked Ohio State despite Simpson's 171 yards and 80-yard TD."
Simpson, nicknamed "Juice," then became the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Bills in 1969.
"He was named MVP in 1973, when he became the first to rush for 2,000 yards in a season (doing it in 14 games) while averaging 141.3 yards per game, still an NFL record," the AP wrote.
He spent the final two seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1985.
