Jim Brown, All-Time NFL Great And Social Activist, Dead At 87

Jim Brown was a force on the field, a Hollywood film hero, and a civil rights activist.

Jim Brown, who retired at the pinnacle of his playing career to pursue acting and remained in the public eye as an activist despite off-field misdeeds that included claims of violence against women, has died. He was 87.

Jim Brown died quietly in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night, according to a spokesman for his family, with his wife, Monique, by his side.

“To the rest of the world, he was an activist, actor, and football star,” said Monique Brown in an Instagram post. “He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather to our family.” “Our hearts are shattered.”

Brown was one of the NFL’s earliest superstars, leading the league in rushing for eight of his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He never missed a game, appearing in 118 straight before retiring unexpectedly in 1965 after being selected Most Valuable Player.

Jim Brown led the Browns to their final championship in 1964 before retiring from football at 30 to pursue a film career. He was in over 30 films, including “Any Given Sunday” and “The Dirty Dozen.”

Jim Brown’s debut as a big runner with speed and stamina boosted the game’s rising popularity on television, and he remained an indomitable figure long after his playing days were through.

Jim Brown was also a champion for African-Americans, using his position and voice to advocate for equality.

Jim Brown organized “The Cleveland Summit,” a gathering of the nation’s top Black sportsmen, including Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor, who eventually became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in June 1967 to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s refusal to serve in Vietnam.

Later in life, he tried to reduce gang violence in Los Angeles, and in 1988, he launched Amer-I-Can, a program to assist poor inner-city kids and ex-convicts.

There was no one on the field like Brown, who would run through tacklers, refusing to let one man take him down before running away from linebackers and defensive backs. He was also known for shedding defenders in the open field with a stiff arm or pushing them away like rag dolls.

Jim Brown died quietly in his Los Angeles home on Thursday night, according to a spokesman for his family, with his wife, Monique, by his side.

Brown would carefully stand and walk back to the huddle after being tackled, then dominate the defense when he got the ball again.

Jim Brown was a complicated figure off the pitch.

While he had a heart for those in need, he was also arrested a half-dozen times, primarily for beating women.

Jim Brown’s wife contacted 911 in June 1999, claiming Brown had damaged her car with a shovel and threatened to murder her. Monique Brown recanted her testimony throughout the trial. Jim Brown was acquitted of domestic threats but found guilty of misdemeanor vandalism. When Brown refused to undergo domestic violence counseling, a Los Angeles judge sentenced him to six months in jail.

Jim Brown left his playing days behind and moved to Hollywood, where he eventually settled. Brown announced his retirement to Cleveland coach Blanton Collier while the club was at training camp, and he was on the set of “The Dirty Dozen” in England.

Jim Brown’s relationship with the Browns has been erratic in recent years. He was appointed to advise the team’s younger players after serving as an adviser to owner Randy Lerner. However, Brown left the team in 2010 after incoming team president Mike Holmgren curtailed his responsibilities. Brown felt betrayed by the apparent demotion, and he did not attend the club’s unveiling of a “Ring of Honour” inside its downtown stadium in protest.

In 2016, the Browns built a statue of Brown outside their stadium.

Jim Brown was a complicated figure off the pitch.

In recent years, Brown has made only a few public appearances. In February, he attended the NFL Honours ceremony, where the league revealed that the league rushing title would be renamed The Jim Brown Award.

Brown was an eight-time All-Pro and appeared in the Pro Bowl every year of his nine-year career. He retired with league records in yards (12,312) and touchdowns (126).

Brown, born on February 17, 1936, in St. Simons Island, Georgia, was a multisport star at Long Island’s Manhasset High School. He averaged 14.9 yards per rush in football and once scored 55 points in a game.

Brown, a two-sport star at Syracuse who some consider the best lacrosse player in NCAA history, experienced several racist slurs while playing at the nearly all-white institution. Nonetheless, he was a two-sport All-American and lettered in basketball.

Brown was selected sixth overall in the 1957 draught, joining a team that frequently competed for the championship. That season, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Jim Brown’s No. 32 jersey was retired by the Browns in 1971.

Brown broke a league record with 1,527 yards and 17 touchdowns while running behind an offensive line that included Hall of Fame tackles Lou Groza and Mike McCormack on his way to the league’s Most Outstanding Player award — a precursor to the MVP — in 1958. He never ran for under 1,257 yards in the next three seasons, closing with 996 in 1962.

Jim Brown’s No. 32 jersey was retired by the Browns in 1971, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. During the 1970s and 1980s, however, he rarely visited Cleveland. He and Cleveland owner Art Modell clashed over his premature resignation; the two eventually reconciled and remained friends.

In 1995, Brown-backed Modell’s decision to relocate Cleveland’s team to Baltimore. It was both a reflection of his devotion to Modell and evidence of his uncompromising individuality. Brown was one of the few former Browns players who was not upset with Modell’s decision to relocate the franchise.

“And for him to come out on top is something that not many guys can appreciate.”

Brown is survived by his wife, Aris, son, Jim Jr., daughter, Kimberly, son, Kevin, daughter, Shellee, and daughter, Kim. Karen Ward, his daughter, preceded him in death.

SOURCE – (AP)