Long before the Bronco chase gripped a national television audience and the “Trial of the Century” captivated the country, O.J. Simpson was making his mark on the football field.
The Juice was the best running back of his era during an 11-year NFL career mostly played with the Buffalo Bills. He won a national championship and a Heisman Trophy in college and set records in the NFL. But Simpson’s accomplishments on the field were overshadowed and his image was forever ruined by charges that he killed his former wife and her male friend in 1994. Though he was acquitted of murder, Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case.
Simpson’s tarnished legacy resulted in a muted reaction to news of his death Thursday. He wasn’t acknowledged publicly by the NFL, the Bills or the San Francisco 49ers, where he played his final two seasons.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame issued a statement attributed to its President Jim Porter that said: “O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards. His on-field contributions will be preserved in the Hall’s archives in Canton, Ohio.”
Simpson’s name remains on the Bills’ Wall of Fame, which rings the inside of Highmark Stadium, known as Rich Stadium during his playing days. That could change in a few years when the Bills move into a new stadium set to open across the street in 2026. Fans previously petitioned the team to remove Simpson’s name from the wall.
Otherwise, there are very few reminders of Simpson’s time playing in Buffalo. No statues. Many of his teammates and friends have moved away or died.
The five-time All-Pro was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
By then, he was already a fixture on television as an actor, pitchman and football analyst. Simpson first appeared in an ad for Hertz in 1975, and legions of sports fans knew him as the former player who dashed through airports wearing three-piece suits and holding a briefcase while hurdling railings on his way to the rental counter to secure his car.
Simpson began acting during his time at USC, appeared in various roles on television shows while in the NFL and co-starred in several movies after retiring. His promising on-screen career and everything else was halted following the murder allegations.
Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure was a rookie with the Bills during Simpson’s record-breaking season and became an important member of an offensive line known as “The Electric Company” that paved the lane for Simpson to run free.
Simpson had matured as a teammate by the time DeLamielleure met him, aided by guidance he received from Edgerson and other veteran players who helped him find his way.
“He was like a star to us, even back then,” DeLamielleure told the AP. “He was like an icon even back then. … But I’ll tell you what, he was never cocky. He worked hard in practice.”
In the end, however, Simpson is remembered more for the murder trial than his football accolades.