James Nathaniel Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor and social activist. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. He is still considered as a candidate for the best running back of all time. In 2002 was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever. Sportswriter Bert Randolph Sugar named Brown #1 in his book The Greatest Athletes of All Time.
Brown was born on St. Simons Island in coastal Georgia and grew up in a devoutly Baptist family. His parents divorced when he was a toddler. He later moved to Long Island in the 1940s to live with his mother, who at the time was working as a housekeeper for wealthy homeowners. At Manhasset High School, Brown earned 13 letters playing football, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse, while also running track.
Despite his many talents, Brown was unable to obtain an athletic scholarship until a local benefactor paid for his first year at Syracuse University. By the time he was finished at the school in 1957, Brown earned not only a scholarship, but All-American recognition in both football and lacrosse. Even today he is considered one of the best lacrosse players of all time. He also made the high school water polo squad. He excelled in the art and became a world renowned pro.
Brown was friends with comedian Richard Pryor. Pryor often included Brown in his act, citing his intimidating stature. In the 1990s, he dated Playboy model and video vixen, Ola Ray (best known as playing Michael Jackson's scared girlfriend in the video Thriller (1984). In 1997, Jim took a paternity test because Ola claimed she was pregnant after their brief love affair. The paternity test proved Brown was not the father of her daughter.
Players like Chuck Bednarik, David D. Deacon Jones, Johnny Sample, and Sam Huff remembered how Jim Brown was never intimidated. Sam Huff tried and he failed miserably. He would say stuff like "Way to go D," or "Nice tackle Sam." "Way to go D. Come right back at you again you hate that. I'd rather he call me some nasty name or something," David "Deacon" Jones said. "You'd gang-tackled him, did what ever you could, give him extracurriculars. He'd get up slow, look at you, and walk back to the huddle and wouldn't say a word, just come at you again, and again, said Chuck Bednarik.
Brown announced his retirement on July 14, 1966 after Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell insisted that Brown report to training camp, instead of finishing his work on the movie The Dirty Dozen. He departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549). He was the first player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league's expansion to a 16-game season in 1978 (Brown's first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games). Brown also set a record by reaching the 100-touchdown milestone in only 93 games, which stood until LaDainian Tomlinson reached it in 89 games during the 2006 season. He still holds the career record for yards per carry by a running back (5.2), and total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958-1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career.
Brown had begun his career as an actor with an appearance in the film Rio Conchos (1964 film) in 1964, and went on to star in the 1967 war movie The Dirty Dozen (during the filming of which he announced his retirement from professional football), the 1970 movie ...tick...tick...tick..., as well as in numerous other features. Brown acted with Fred Williamson in films such as: 1974's Three the Hard Way; Take a Hard Ride in 1975, 1982's One Down, Two to Go and On the Edge in 2002. Perhaps Brown's most memorable role was as Robert Jefferson in the aforementioned 1967 movie, The Dirty Dozen, and in Keenen Ivory Wayans' 1987 comedy I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Brown also acted in 1987's The Running Man an adaptation of a Stephen King story. He played a coach in Any Given Sunday and also appeared in Sucker Free City and Mars Attacks!.
Brown was the centerfold of Playgirl magazine in September 1974. The pictorial included a host of tasteful, full frontal nude shots.
Brown currently works with kids caught up in the gang scene in Los Angeles and Cleveland through the Amer-I-Can program, which he founded in 1988. It is a life management skills organization that operates in inner cities and prisons.
