Ignoring the murder trial, O.J. Simpson was one of the best
running backs in (American)
football history.
Orenthal James Simpson (DOB: 7/9/1947; San Francisco, California) won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 as a senior at USC and was taken first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 AFL-NFL draft. "The Juice" would play for the Bills from 1969-1977, setting numerous records along the way.
In 1973, Simpson became the first runner in NFL history to run for over 2000 yards in a season (he ended up with 2003; Eric Dickerson broke his record with 2105 yards; Barry Sanders and Terrell Davis are the only other players in history to run for 2000 yards in a season. Simpson set his mark in a 14-game season; the other 3 did it in 16-game seasons).
O.J. won the NFL MVP award in 1975, after scoring a then-record 23 touchdowns (Emmitt Smith's 25 in 1995 is the current mark.)
Simpson spent the final two seasons of his career (1978-1979) with the San Francisco 49ers.
Simpson led the NFL in rushing 4 times (1972, 1973, 1975, 1976). Only Jim Brown has been the league leader more times (8).
O.J. had a record 6 games of at least 200 yards and twice rushed for at least 250 yards (Through 2000, only 3 other players in NFL history have ever rushed for 250+; Walter Payton, Corey Dillon, and Mike Anderson).
He was an All-Pro 5 times.
Simpson's career rushing stats are 2404 attempts, 11236 yards, and 61 touchdowns. He also had 14 receiving touchdowns and 1 kickoff return TD.
As one of the game's greats, Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
In 1999, ESPN's SportsCentury selected Simpson #49 on their list of the 100 greatest North American athletes of the 20th century.