The Late Great Jim Brown
At the age of 87, Jim Brown passed away in his sleep in California
If you are a football fan, then Jim Brown's name is rightly known to you. He had a career starting and ending with the Cleveland Browns, and it's because of him I became a Brown's fan since 1963.
Brown impacted the professional football scene immediately, although when he became Rookie of the Year in 1957, football hadn't caught my attention then.
To put this into perspective, Jim Brown was an All-American when he played for Syracuse in 1956. Again, his rookie award in 1957. He also led the NFL in rushing 8 times. 8-time All-Pro in 1957 to 1961 and 1963 to 1965. 3-time MVP in 1958,1963 and 1965. Top that all off where he rushed for 12,312 yards and scored 126 touchdowns in just 9 seasons. That makes him a remarkable football player.
In truth, he set the bar for future running backs in the game such as Walter Payton, Emmit Smith, Frank Gore, and Barry Sanders to name a few. Currently, he is ranked eleventh all -time rusher. Not bad at all for a man who walked away from the game in 1965.
Walk away he did to have a film career spanning twenty-five films such as 'The Dirty Dozen', '100 Rifles', 'Any Given Sunday' and the original 'Running Man'.
He leaves behind his longtime wife of twenty-six years, Monique Brown, and six adult children.
The photo is a trading card I had for a number of years. In 2000, I went to my first Hall of Fame game in Canton, Oho. The tickets were cheap, but they also had three tents outside of the stadium where Hall of Famers would do autograph signings. You could only sign up for one session back then.
I'm here to tell you I had cards signed by Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis, Dick Butkus, Don Shula and of course, Jim Brown.
It was a stellar two-day event to not just see the game but also the new inductees to the Hall of Fame. Joe Montana, defensive back Ronnie Lott and linebacker Dave Wilcox. Joining them in the class of 2000 were former Raider's lineman Howie Long and Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney.
Yet for as grand as those times were, the standout is Jim Brown. There will never be another like him.