OJ Simpson’s legendary NFL career to murder trial that shocked nation – his wild life and world-stopping controversies
OJ Simpson was one of the most celebrated – and controversial – figures in modern American history.
The former NFL star, who has died aged 76, rose to immense fame following his exploits on the football field with USC and the Buffalo Bills.
Nicknamed ‘The Juice’, Simpson then went on to become a popular celebrity after starring in Hertz commercials and the Naked Gun movies.
With good looks, fame and fortune, Simpson appeared to have it all.
But his achievements as one of the NFL’s greatest ever running backs were completely overshadowed by the ‘Trial of the Century.’
In 1994, Simpson was arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, waiter Ron Goldman.
He was sensationally acquitted a year later in a trial which captivated the world’s attention, though he was later found liable in a civil trial.
Here is a look-back at Simpson’s epic rise and spectacular fall.
- OJ Simpson dead at 76
- Died ‘surrounded by children and grandchildren’
- Claimed to be ‘in good health’ in video weeks before death
- Looked frail in final photos
- How trial ‘tore apart’ Kardashian family
- Old vacation photo resurfaces
- Caitlyn Jenner: Good riddance
- Stephen A Smith: The Lord will deal with him
- Ron Goldman’s father: No great loss
NFL SUPERSTAR
Simpson was an elite two-sport athlete in USC – at both track and field, and as a running back.
He once posted 9.4 seconds for the 100-yard dash and finished sixth in the NCAA 100-yard race in 1967.
That year Simpson was also part of the Trojans’ 4×440-yard relay team which secured a world record of 38.6 seconds in an NCAA meeting.
But it was on the football field where Simpson shined the brightest.
He ran for 3,423 yards and scored 36 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Trojans, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Simpson won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in the 1968 season by the largest margin of votes ever.
After being selected No. 1 overall in the 1969 NFL Draft to the Bills, Simpson earned five straight Pro Bowl nominations.
He became the first pro player to rush for over 2,000 yards when he gained 2,003 in 1973 in just 14 games.
Simpson’s career was affected by a series of injuries and he secured little team success.
But he was still able to gain 11,236 rushing yards, which placed him second on the NFL’s all-time rushing list when he retired in 1979.
Simpson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
HOLLYWOOD ICON
Simpson began a second career on the screen as early as the late 1960s when he guest-starred in TV series such as Dragnet, It Takes a Thief and Ironside.
During his time in the NFL he became a successful pitchman, famously starring in a series of commercials for car rental company Hertz in which he ran through airports.
He broke into movies with the 1974 disaster epic The Towering Inferno alongside big names such as Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway.
Simpson then played an astronaut in the 1979 movie Capricorn One opposite James Brolin, Sam Waterston and Elliott Gould.
But his most famous screen role was in the 1988 comedy The Naked Gun, which featured Simpson as Detective Norberg.
He reprised the role in two sequels: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).
Simpson also moved into sports broadcasting as part of ABC’s Monday Night Football team from 1983-95 before going on to work for NBC Sports.
MURDER SUSPECT
Simpson’s accolades on and off the field were eclipsed after he was arrested for the murders of Brown Simpson and Goldman in 1994.
Goldman and Brown were found with multiple stab wounds to the head, neck, and body.
Police ordered Simpson to surrender, but instead of turning himself in he fled in a white Ford Bronco down the Los Angeles Interstate.
Live action of the police chase was one of the most-watched events in American TV history even though it clashed with the NBA Finals.
About 95 million people watched the slow-speed two-hour chase.
Simpson assembled a dream team for the murder trial, which was watched by millions of people on a daily basis.
After a trial lasting eight months, Simpson was sensationally acquitted.
In a separate civil trial in 1997, Simpson was found liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
Simpson later served nine years in a Nevada prison after being convicted in 2008 on 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel.
He was eventually released from prison in 2017.
Although he had become a pariah, public fascination with his life continued until his death aged 76 this week.