Posting a video story about the life and legend of the Cleveland Browns HOF running back Jim Brown is sincerely a great joy for me…..because Jim Brown was to football what Mickey Mantle was to baseball…..while growing up during my teen years in the 1960’s…..for Jim Brown was like Superman in a Browns uniform…..while being fast as a speeding bullet….as big as a stone wall…..and as strong as a sledge hammer when he ran.  As I remember it some 70 years later…..Jim Brown was “A Superhero on the Gridiron“…..he was simply out of this world with a football in his grasp…..as he required a whole squad of defensemen to bring him down…..after they had ridden his back down the field.  Jim Brown is to running backs what Superman is to cartoon heroes…..while standing 6-foot-2 and packing 230 hard pounds on his square-shouldered frame…..who was an explosive fullback, combining outstanding speed with awesome power.  A favorite quote of mine from Jim Brown saying “I’m not interested in trying to work on people’s perceptions.  I am who I am, and if you don’t take the time to learn about that, then your perception is going to be your problem.”  He played only nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns…..while leading the NFL in rushing eight of those years.  He averaged 104 yards a game at a record 5.22 yards a pop.  He ran for at least 100 yards in 58 of his 118 regular-season games…..and he never missed a game…..plus, he ran for 237 yards in a game twice…..while scoring five touchdowns in another game…..and four times scored four touchdowns.  He rushed for more than 1,000 yards seven times…..while scorching opponents for 1,527 yards in one 12-game season…..and 1,863 in a 14-game season. Unlike most athletes, Brown retired when he was on top…..when at 30, he decided he’d rather be in movies than star on a football field…..so, he left the game before the 1966 season…..as no player had ever ran for as many yards (12,312) or scored more touchdowns (126) or rushing touchdowns (106).   To tell the truth, this post is long overdue, after waiting undeservedly until after his death some five months back on May 18, 2023…..so, we hope you enjoy our tribute to the incredible life and legend of Jim Brown. 

                                                               

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns Documentary Special – 2020 – ESPN Sports Century:  Jim Brown – With Chris Myers                                                                                                                                                                             

 

 

James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American football fullback, civil rights activist, and actor…..who played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965.  Considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time…..as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history…..while Brown was a Pro Bowl invitee every season he was in the league…..plus being recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times…..when he won an NFL title championship with the Browns in 1964.  He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons…..and by the time he retired, he held most major rushing records.  In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.                                                                          

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Mini Documentary / Extended Highlights – 2022 – A Nonstop Production Special – “How Good Was Jim Brown Actually?”                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

Brown earned unanimous All-America honors playing college football at Syracuse University…..where he was an all-around player for the Syracuse Orangemen football team…..when the school later retired his # 44 jersey….. and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.  He is also widely considered to be one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time…..while having the Premier Lacrosse League MVP Award being given his named in his honor.  Brown also excelled in basketball and track and field.

 

 

 

 

NCAAF & NFL – Extended Highlights – 2013 – Jim Brown – An Alex McInerney Production Special – “Jim Brown: A Legend”         

                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

College Lacrosse – Jim Brown – Mini Documentary – 2017 – An ESPN Short Production Special – “This Is College Lacrosse – Jim Brown ESPN Short”

 

 

 

In his professional career, Brown carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns…..which were all records when he retired. He averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game…..and is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career.  Brown was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971……while being named to the NFL’s 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams…..which is composed of the best players in NFL history.  Brown was honored at the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as the greatest college football player of all time.  His number 32 jersey is retired by the Browns.                     

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 2017 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “Jim Brown’s Top 5 Runs”

 

Shortly before the end of his football career, Brown became an actor…..which led him to retiring at the peak of his football career to pursue an acting career.  He obtained 53 acting credits and several leading roles throughout the 1970’s……while being described as Hollywood’s 1st black action hero (and super hero on the gridiron)…..and his role in the 1969 film 100 Rifles made cinematic history for featuring interracial love scenes.                                                                            

 

 

 

Movie & NFL – Official Trailer – For the Movie 100 Rifles – Starring Jim Brown + Rachel Welch + Burt Reynolds + Fernando Lamas

 

 

 

Brown was one of the few athletes, and among the most prominent African Americans, to speak out on racial issues as the civil rights movement was growing in the 1950’s…..when he participated in the Cleveland Summit after Muhammad Ali faced imprisonment for refusing to enter the draft for the Vietnam War…..plus, he founded the Black Economic Union to help promote economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses.  Brown later launched a foundation focused on diverting at-risk youth from violence through teaching them life skills…..through which he facilitated the Watts truce between rival street gangs in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

 

NFL & Talk Shows – Jim Brown Interview – In-Depth With Graham Bensinger – 2016 – A Graham Bensinger Production Special – “Interview With Jim Brown Regarding More Racism Now Than Ever Before”                                                                            

 

 

Brown was born in St. Simons Island, Georgia, to Swinton Brown, a professional boxer, and his wife, Theresa, a homemaker…..while he attended Manhasset Secondary School in Manhasset, New York…..where Brown earned 13 letters playing football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball and running track.  Brown credits his sel-reliance to having grown up on Saint Simons Island….. which was a community off the coast of Georgia…..where racism did not affect him directly.  At the age of eight, he moved to Manhasset, New York, on Long Island…..when his mother worked as a domestic…..and it was there that he became an athletic legend…..where Brown averaged a Long Island record 38 points per game for his basketball team…..which was a record that was later broken by future Boston Red Sox HOF star Carl Yastrzemski of Bridgehampton.

 

 

 

 

 NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 2023 – A Pro Football Hall Of Fame Production Special – “Remembering Football’s Greatest Player: Jim Brown (1934 – 2023)”                                                                                        

 

 

Syracuse University lacrosse star Kenneth Molloy…..who was involved with the lacrosse program at Manhasset…..and was a benefactor of Brown who persuaded his alma mater to admit him…..which was difficult because according to Molloy, “[Syracuse] did not want black athletes.”…..so, Brown was the only African-American player on the football team as a freshman in 1953…..and promises of a full scholarship in the 2nd half of the year were not honored…..when Molloy personally financed and fundraised for Brown’s 1st year at the school.  He endured racist taunts while he was at Syracuse….. while being treated differently from his teammates…..as he was housed in a non-athlete dormitory…..plus, being warned against dating Caucasian women…..and the coaching staff attempted to put him at other positions, including punter, lineman, and wide receiver.  As a sophomore at Syracuse, Brown was the 2nd-leading rusher on the team…..then as a junior, he rushed for 676 yards (5.2 per carry)…..and in his senior year in 1956, Brown was a consensus 1st-team All-American…..while he finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting…..and set school records for highest season rush average (6.2) …..and for most rushing touchdowns in a single game (6)…..plus, he ran for 986 yards for the season…..which was 3rd-most in the country despite Syracuse playing only eight games…..while he scored 14 touchdowns.  In the regular-season finale, a 61–7 rout of Colgate, he rushed for 197 yards, scored six touchdowns and kicked seven extra points for a school-record 43 points …..then in the Cotton Bowl, he rushed for 132 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points…..but a blocked extra point after Syracuse’s 3rd touchdown was the difference as TCU won 28–27.                                    

 

 

 

NCAAF – Jim Brown – Syracuse University Extended Highlights – 2018 – A Pocky Candy Production Special – “Classic Tailback – Jim Brown Syracuse Highlights”                                                                                                       

 

 

In addition to his football accomplishments, he excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse…..when as a sophomore, he was the 2nd-leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg)…..and earned a letter on the track team…..when in 1955, he finished in 5th place in the National Championship decathlon.  His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball…..while being named a 2nd-team All-American in lacrosse.  His senior year, he was named a 1st-team All-American in lacrosse (43 goals in 10 games to rank 2nd in scoring nationally). Brown was so dominant in the game, that lacrosse rules were changed requiring a lacrosse player to keep their stick in constant motion when carrying the ball…..instead of holding it close to his body…..and as a point of interest, there is currently (2023) no rule in lacrosse that requires a player to keep their stick in motion.  He is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  The JMA Wireless Dome has an 800 square-foot tapestry depicting Brown in football and lacrosse uniforms with the words “Greatest Player Ever”.                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

College Football & College Lacrosse – Jim Brown – Syracuse University – 2017 – A Syracuse Orange Sports on Syracuse.com Produuction Special – “Jim Brown: Syracuse University # 1 Top Sports Figures of All Time”

 

 

 

While in college, Brown participated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.  and after graduating he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant.  During his time in the NFL, Brown continued his military commitment as a member of the United States Army Reserve…..after serving for four years and was discharged with the rank of captain.                                                                                       

 

 

 

NFL & NCAAF – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns / Syracuse Orangemen – 2021 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “Browns Top 10 Moments:  Drafting Jim Brown from Syracuse in 1957” 

 

 

 

College Lacrosse – Jim Brown – Syracuse University – 2016 – A Pat Gregoire Production Special – “A Jim Brown Lacrosse Feature”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

Brown was taken in the 1st round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, the 6th overall selection…..then in the 9th game of his rookie season, against the Los Angeles Rams, he rushed for 237 yards….while setting an NFL single-game record that stood unsurpassed for 14 years….. and a rookie record that remained for 40 years until Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals rushed for 246 yards in a Week 15 game against the Tennessee Oilers.                                                                                                                                   

 

 

 

NFL – NFL’s Top 75 Moments Special – 2021 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “# 11 – Jim Brown’s Moment”                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 

Brown broke the single-season rushing record in 1958…..while gaining 1,527 yards in the 12-game season…..while shattering the previous NFL mark of 1,146 yards set by Steve Van Buren in 1949…..as well as most rushing yards per game in a season, with 127.3.  In this MVP season, Brown led all players with a staggering 17 touchdowns scored…..while beating his nearest rival, Baltimore Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry, by 8.                                                          

 

 

 

NFL – NFL’s Top 75 Moments Special – 2021 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “# 16 – Jim Brown Breaks Single Season Rushing Record in 1958”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

After nine years in the NFL, he departed as the league’s record holder for both single-season with 1,863 yards in 1963…..and the career rushing with 12,312 yards…..as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 106…..along with total touchdowns with 126…..and all-purpose yards with 15,549 yards.  He was the 1st player to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone…..while only a few others have done so since, despite the league’s expansion to a 16-game season in 1978….while Brown’s 1st four seasons were only 12 games…..with his last five being 14 games.  Brown’s record of scoring 100 touchdowns in only 93 games stood until LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 89 games during the 2006 season. Brown holds the record for total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards with five from 1958–1961 & 1964…..and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career.  In addition to his rushing, Brown was a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns  …..while also adding another 628 yards returning kickoffs.  In every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl…..while leaving the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game.  John Mackey (Colts HOF Tight End) once said that Brown told him,  “I make sure that when anyone tackles me….he remembers how much it hurts.”…..and he lived by that philosophy…..and I too have always followed that advice.”                                                               

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – HBO’s Inside The NFL Special – “NFL Greatest Rivalries:  New York Giants Vs. Cleveland Browns (1955 To 1958)” – Featuring Browns RB Jim Brown – Hosts Barry Tompkins + Marty Glickman                                                                                         

 

 

Brown’s 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remains a Cleveland franchise record…..which is currently the oldest franchise record for rushing yards out of all 32 NFL teams.  His average of 133 yards per game that season is exceeded only by O. J. Simpson’s 1973 season…..whereas, Brown led the league in rushing a record eight times…..and was also the 1st NFL player to rush for over 10,000 yards.  He was very difficult to tackle…..which is evidenced by his all-time record of 5.2 yards per carry for his entire career….. while often requiring more than one defender to bring him down…..plus, he was famous for his stiff arm and combined speed, power and relentless endurance as a rusher…..but what would you expect from Superman in a Browns Uniform!?!                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 2020 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “Jim Brown: One Of NFL’s 100 Greatest Game Changers”

 

 

 

After winning his 3rd league MVP award in 1965,  Jim Brown retired in July 1966 at age 30…..while still at the top of his game…..when he was in England for the shooting of the movie The Dirty Dozen…..and was expected to return to the Browns afterwards…..but instead, he retired when team owner Art Modell threatened him with fines for missing training camp.  Brown held the NFL career rushing record of 12,312 yards for nearly 20 years until it was broken by Walter Payton on October 7, 1984, during Payton’s 10th NFL season…..whereas, Brown is still the Browns’ all-time leading rusher…..and as of 2018, he ranked 11th on the all-time rushing list.  During Brown’s career, Cleveland won the NFL championship in 1964 and were runners-up in 1957 and 1965, his rookie and final season, respectively. In the 1964 championship game, Brown rushed 27 times for 114 yards and caught 3 passes for 37.

 

 

 

 

NFL – NFL’s Top 75 Moments Special – 2021 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “# 20 – Jim Brown: Jim Brown wins 1965 NFL Season MVP” 

 

 

 

 
NFL – NFL Championship Extended Highlights Film – 2021 – A Historic Packer Games Production Special – “1965 Browns at Packers NFL Championship”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 

 

Brown appeared in many movies and was at times described as a black Superman (which I referred to him as in 1960 at 13 yrs old) or a black John Wayne…..albeit, he was not considered to be a gifted actor…..there’s no question that he helped to expand the range of roles available to black actors…..who began his acting career before the 1964 season while playing a buffalo soldier in a Western action film called Rio Conchos.  The film premiered at Cleveland’s Hippodrome theater on October 23, 1964…..with Brown and many of his teammates in attendance…..and albeit the reaction to the film was lukewarm…..but Brown, one reviewer said, was a serviceable actor…..however, the movie’s overcooked plotting and implausibility amounted to “a vigorous melodrama for the non-squeamish.”                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

 

Movie & NFL – Jim Brown – Official Movie Trailer – 1964 – Rio Conchos – Starring Richard Boone + Stuart Whitman + Jim Brown + Tony Franciosa + Edmond O’Brien – Cleveland Browns Jim Brown’s 1st Movie

 

 

 

In early 1966, Brown was shooting his second film in London.  MGM’s The Dirty Dozen cast Brown as Robert Jefferson, one of 12 convicts sent to France during World War II to assassinate German officers meeting at a castle near Rennes in Brittany before the D-Day invasion…..when production delays due to bad weather meant he missed at least the 1st part of training camp on the campus of Hiram College…..which annoyed Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell…..who threatened to fine Brown $1,500 (equivalent to $13,500 in 2022) for every week of camp he missed.  Brown, who had previously said that 1966 would be his last season, the final year of a three-year contract, announced his retirement, instead.

 

 

 

 

Movie & NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 1967 – From the Movie The Dirty Dozen – A Movieclips Production Special – “Jim Brown: Blowing The Chateau Scene” – Starring Lee Marvin + Charles Bronson + Donald Sutherland + Robert Ryan + Clint Walker

 

 

 

MGM cast Brown in his first lead role in The Split in 1968…..which was based on a Parker novel by Donald E. Westlake…..and Brown was paid $125,000 for the role.  Brown followed it with Riot in 1969…..which was a prison film for MGM…..when both it and The Split were solid hits at the box office. Biographer Mike Freeman credits Brown with becoming “the first black action star”…..which was due to roles such as the Marine captain he portrayed in the hit 1968 film Ice Station Zebra.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Movie & NFL – Official Movie Trailer – 1968 – For the Movie The Split – Starring Jim Brown + Diahann Carroll + Ernest Brognine + Julie Harris + Warren Oats                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Movies & NFL – Jim Brown – Actor – 2023 – A Pick of the Flicks Production Special – “Jim Brown: Top 5 Western Movies”

Movie & NFL – Official Movie Trailer – 1968 – For the Movie Ice Station Zebra – Starring Rock Hudson + Jim Brown + Ernest Brognine + Patrick McGoohan                                                                                                                      

Brown went to 20th Century Fox for 100 Rifles in 1969…..and was billed over co stars Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds…..while having a love scene with Welch…..which was one of the 1st interracial love scenes….and the 1st in a major Hollywood movie.  Raquel Welch reflected on the scene in Spike Lee’s Jim Brown: All-American.  For this role, Brown was paid $200,000 and received five percent of the film’s box office…..while becoming one of the highest paid black actors.                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

NFL & Talk Shows – Jim Brown – Actor Interview – 1970 – A The Dick Cavett Show Production Special – “Jim Brown: On Becoming An Actor & His Relationship With Raquel Welch”

 

 

 

Movies & NFL – Jim Brown – Actor – For The Movie 100 Rifles – 2022 – A Movieclips Production Special – “Jim Brown:  Final Shootout in the Movie 100 Rifles – With Jim Brown Being The Hero Who Rode Off Into The Sunset“

 

 

 

His 1980’s appearances were mostly on television…..as he appeared in some TV shows including Knight Rider in the season-three premiere episode “Knight of the Drones”…..plus, he appeared alongside fellow former football player Joe Namath on The A-Team episode “Quarterback Sneak”…..plus, he also appeared on CHiPs, episodes one and two, in season three, as a pickpocket on roller skates.  He appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger  in 1987’s The Running Man, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, as Fireball…..and had a cameo in the spoof I’m Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988.  Brown appeared in Mars Attacks! in 1996 and Sucker Free City in 2004…..as well as playing defensive coach, Montezuma Monroe, in Any Given Sunday in 1999.

 

 

 

 

Movies & NFL – Jim Brown – Actor – For The Movie Any Given Sunday2022 – A xlmxfbx Production Special – “Jim Brown:  Coach Montezuma Monroe’s Pep Talk To His Defense

 

 

 

Brown was one of the few athletes to speak out on racial issues in the 1950’s as the civil rights movement was growing…..while being one of the most prominent African American athletes to engage in civil rights activism…..as  he called on other African American athletes to become involved in similar initiatives off the field…..when in 1967, Brown, alongside Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Carl Stokes, were all members of the Cleveland Summit….. which was a meeting that Muhammad Ali held with the intention of convincing the four to rally behind and recruit others to help Ali’s cause of civil rights in the United States…..and since Ali was considered a “pariah” in American society at the time because of his opposition to the Vietnam War and refusal to enter the draft….when his boxing license had been revoked….. and he faced up to five years in prison…..so, for Brown and the other participants to stand with Ali in support of him and his position consequently put “their reputations and their careers” at risk.  The Cleveland Summit was later called “a significant turning point for the role of the athlete in society” and “one of the most important civil rights acts in sports history”.

 

 

 

 

Special – NFL * NBA * Boxing – The Cleveland Summit – 1967 – Jim Brown + Muhammad Ali + Bill Russell + Kareem Abdule-Jabbar et al – In A Show Of Unity Behind Muhammad Ali After His Title Was Stripped

 

 

 

In 1966, Brown founded the Negro Industrial Economic Union…..which was later known as the Black Economic Union (BEU), to help promote economic opportunities for minority owned businesses.  Brown later stated in a 1968 Ebony interview, “We’ve got to stop wasting all our energy and money marching and picketing and going things like camping-down in Washington on a Poor People’s Campaign…We’ve got to get off the emotional stuff and do something that will bring about real change. We’ve got to have industries and commercial enterprises and build our own sustaining economic base. Then we can face white folks man-to-man and we can deal.”  The BEU secured loans and grants, including from the Ford Foundation, to support community initiatives related to food, medicines and farm and economic ventures in specific counties, starting with Marshall County, Mississippi. Because of Brown’s economic advocacy for the African American community, Richard Nixon expressed support for black capitalism in his campaign in the 1968 United States presidential election and received an endorsement from Brown.  In 1988, Brown founded the Amer-I-Can Foundation, an organization that sought to divert gang members and prisoners from violence by teaching them life skills.  Through the foundation, Brown helped establish the Watts truce between rival street gangs in Los Angeles.                                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 Activist & NFL – Jim Brown – Worth Quoting Interviewer Samuel Kouvaris – On The Amer-I-Can Organization – 1993 – Live at Florida Community College in Jacksonville – A FSCJ LLC Production Special – “Jim Brown: Worth Quoting”

 

 

 

Perceiving Brown and other outspoken African-American athletes as a threat…..when the FBI monitored Brown and his organizations…..as files declassified in 2003 showed that the FBI, the United States Secret Service, and several police departments had monitored Brown and the Black Economic Union…..while attempting to smear the group as a source of Communist and radical Muslim extremism…..and collecting information to damage Brown’s reputation.                                                                                                                 

 

 

 

NFL Actor & Talk Shows – Jim Brown – In-Depth With Graham Bensinger – 1993 – A Graham Bensinger Production Special – “Jim Brown: Meeting With Bloods and Crips Together In His House”

 

 

 

NFL Actor & Talk Shows – Jim Brown – In-Depth With Graham Bensinger – 2007 – A Graham Bensinger Production Special – “Jim Brown: On His Spirit To Bring About Change Was There Very Early In His Life” – Part 1                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

 

 

NFL Actor & Talk Shows – Jim Brown – In-Depth With Graham Bensinger – 2007 – A Graham Bensinger Production Special – “Jim Brown: On His Spirit To Bring About Change Was There Very Early In His Life” – Part 2

 

 

 

Brown posed in the nude for the September 1974 issue of Playgirl magazine, and was one of the rare celebrities to allow full-frontal nude pictures to be used.  Brown also worked as a color analyst on NFL telecasts for CBS in 1978, teaming with Vin Scully and George Allen.                                                                                             

 

 

 

NFL Actor & Talk Shows – Jim Brown – In-Depth With Graham Bensinger – 2007 – A Graham Bensinger Production Special – “Jim Brown: I Disagreed With Martin Luther King Jr” – Part 2

 

 

 

In 1965, Brown was the 1st black televised boxing announcer when he announced a televised boxing match in the United States, for the Ernie Terrell vs. George Chuvalo heavyweight fight….. and he’s also credited with then 1st suggesting a career in boxing promotion to Bob Arum.  Brown’s autobiography, published in 1989 by Zebra Books…..which was titled Out of Bounds…..and was co-written with Steve Delsohn…..plus, he was a subject of the book Jim: The Author’s Self-Centered Memoir of the Great Jim Brown, by James Toback.

 

 

 

 

Boxing – 15 Round WBA World Heavyweight Title Fight – Entire Fight – 1965 – George Chuvalo Vs Ernie Terrell – With Don Dunphy + Jim Brown Behind The Mic

 

 

 

In 1993, Brown was hired as a color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship…..which was a role he occupied for the 1st six pay-per-view events.  In 2008, Brown initiated a lawsuit against Sony and EA Sports for using his likeness in the Madden NFL video game series. He claimed that he “never signed away any rights that would allow his likeness to be used”.  From 2008 until his death, Brown served as an executive advisor to the Browns…..when in that capacity he helped to build relationships with the team’s players and to further enhance the NFL’s wide range of sponsored programs through the team’s player programs department.  On May 29, 2013, Brown was named a special advisor to the Browns…..while also becoming a part-owner of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, joining a group of investors in the purchase of the team in 2012.                                               

 

 

 

NFL & Variety Shows – The Ed Sullivan Show – 1964 – An Ed Sullivan Show Production Special – “Jim Brown: Talks With Ed Sullivan and All-American Jack Rice”                                                                                                 

 

 

On October 11, 2018, Brown along with Kanye West met with President Donald Trump to discuss the state of America, among other topics…..which was criticized by the black community for the meeting…..while saying that Trump was the sitting president and “we can’t ignore that seat and just call names of the person that’s sitting in it”…..as Brown called him “accessible”, and said that the president was not a racist.                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

NFL Activist & Talk Shows – 1970 -A Dick Cavett Show Production Special – ” Jim Brown & Georgia Governor Lester Maddox Interview With Dick Cavett” – Featuring A Heated Debate on Segregation

 

 

 

Brown married his first wife Sue Brown (née Jones) in September 1959.  She sued for divorce in 1968, charging him with “gross neglect”.  Together, they had three children, twins born 1960, and a son born 1962.  Their divorce was finalized in 1972…..and Brown was ordered to pay $2,500 per month in alimony and $100 per week for child support.  In December 1973, Brown proposed to 18-year-old Diane Stanley, a Clark College student he met in Acapulco, Mexico, in April of that year.  They broke off their engagement in 1974.  Brown married his second wife, Monique, in 1997…..and they had two children.

 

 

 

 

 NFL – Special – 2023 – A Ten Over Ten Production Special – “Jim Brown: Never Seen Wives and Kids.”

 

 

 

Brown died of natural causes at the age of 87 on May 18, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles…..with his wife by his side.  Tributes from the sports world and beyond soon poured in…..with former NFL running back Barry Sanders posting on Twitter that “You can’t underestimate the impact Jim Brown had on the NFL.”…..while Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards, wrote “He is and was a true legend in sports and in the community using his platform to help others.”…..when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said “Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to ever step on any athletic field — but also a cultural figure who helped promote change.”…..and LeBron James, an NBA star, wrote in tribute that “We lost a hero today. Rest in Paradise to the legend Jim Brown. I hope every Black athlete takes the time to educate themselves about this incredible man and what he did to change all of our lives. We all stand on your shoulders Jim Brown.”…..plus Barack Obama, the 44th president and the 1st Black president of the United States, wrote, “I was too young to remember Jim Brown’s playing days, but I knew his legacy. One of the greatest football players ever, he was also an actor and activist – speaking out on civil rights, and pushing other black athletes to do the same.”                                                                                  

 

 

 

NFL & News – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 2023 – A CBS Sports Production Special – “Jim Brown: One Of The NFL’s All-Time Greatest Players, Celebrated Actor and Social Activist Dies at 87”                                              

 

 

Brown was portrayed by David Ajala in the London cast of the 2013 screenplay One Night in Miami and by Aldis Hodge in the subsequent 2021 film adaptation of the same name.   According to Hodge, he heard “through the grapevine” that Brown – the only subject of the film alive at the film’s release – liked the film and approved of Hodge’s portrayal of him.                                                                 

 

 

 

Special – NFL * Boxing * Music * Civil Rights Leaders – 2020 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “Jim Brown + Muhammad Ali + Sam Cooke + Malcom X: One Night In Miami In 1964 To Remember….A Meeting At The Miami Hampton Inn”

 

 

 

Brown’s memorable professional career led to his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971……while his football accomplishments at Syracuse garnered him a berth in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995…..whereas, Brown was inducted in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1983.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

 

 NFL – Jim Brown – 1971 NFL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – 2023 – A Cleveland Browns Production Special – “Jim Brown: Hall of Fame Induction Speech”                                                                                                       

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – 2023 – A Pro Football Hall of Fame Production Special – “Jim Brown: Remembering Football’s Greatest Player HOR Cleveland Browns RB Jim Brown: 1934-2023”                                         

 

 

 

Lacrosse – Jim Brown – Syracuse University Lacrosse Team – 2014 – A LaxSchool Production Special – “Jim Brown: Halftime Special at 1991 NCAA Lacrosse Championship” – As The Greatest Ever Lacrosse Player

 

 

 

Lacrosse – Jim Brown – ESPN Special Profile – 2016 – A Lacrosse All Stars Production Special – “Jim Brown: A 4,000 Watt Lacrosse Shot Overpowers The Great One”

 

 

 

Brown is the only NFL player to average 100 rushing yards per game for their career…..whereas, in 118 career games, he averaged 104.3 yards per game with a 5.2 yards per carry average…..when only Barry Sanders’ 99.8 yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry is the only running back who even comes close to these totals…..as evidenced by HOF Walter Payton averaged 88 yards per game during his career with a 4.4 yards-per-carry average…..while Emmitt Smith averaged 81.2 yards per game with a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. Jim Brown held the yards-per-carry record by a running back (minimum 750 carries) from his retirement in 1965 until Jamaal Charles broke the record in 2012.                                                                                                                                            

 

 

 

 NFL – JIm Brown – Extended Career Highlights – 2007 – A markpatricia Production Special – “Jim Brown 1957 To 1965: NFL’s Greatest Ever”

 

 

 

ESPN’s SportsCentury in 1999 ranked Brown 4th among their 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century, trailing only Muhammed Ali, Babe Ruth, and Michael Jordan.  In 2002, The Sporting News selected him as the greatest football player of all time…..as did the New York Daily News in 2014.  On November 4, 2010, Brown was chosen by NFL Network’s NFL Films production of The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players as the 2nd greatest player in NFL history…..while behind only Jerry Rice.  In November 2019, he was selected as one of the twelve running backs on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

NBA & NFL – LeBron James & Jim Brown – PreGame Special – 2015 – An NBA Production Special – “LeBron James Pays Tribute to Jim Brown Pregame”

 

 

 

On January 13, 2020, Brown was named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN, during a ceremony at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football.                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

NFL – Jim Brown – Special Film – 2017 – A DocBusters Production Special – “Jim Brown:  on Muhammad Ali’s Fight Against Discrimination”

 

 

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing							Receiving					Fum
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/R	Lng	TD
1957	CLE	12	12	202	942	4.7	78.5	16.8	69	9	16	55	3.4	12	1	7
1958	CLE	12	12	257	1,527	5.9	127.3	21.4	65	17	16	138	8.6	46	1	5
1959	CLE	12	12	290	1,329	4.6	110.8	24.2	70	14	24	190	7.9	25	0	2
1960	CLE	12	12	215	1,257	5.8	104.8	17.9	71	9	19	204	10.7	37	2	9
1961	CLE	14	14	305	1,408	4.6	100.6	21.8	38	8	46	459	10.0	77	2	6
1962	CLE	14	14	230	996	4.3	71.1	16.4	31	13	47	517	11.0	53	5	9
1963	CLE	14	14	291	1,863	6.4	133.1	20.8	80	12	24	268	11.2	83	3	7
1964	CLE	14	14	280	1,446	5.2	103.3	20.0	71	7	36	340	9.4	40	2	6
1965	CLE	14	14	289	1,544	5.3	110.3	20.6	67	17	34	328	9.6	32	4	6
Career		118	118	2,359	12,312	5.2	104.3	20.0	80	106	262	2,499	9.5	83	20	57

NFL – Jim Brown – Special – 2023 – A FlemLo Raps Production Special – “Jim Brown: He Played For 9 YEARS and Led The League In Rushing Yards 8 Times”

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Rushing							Receiving					Fum
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/R	Lng	TD
1957	CLE	1	1	20	69	3.5	69.0	20.0	29	1	0	0	—	0	0	0
1958	CLE	1	1	7	8	1.1	8.0	7.0	20	0	2	18	9.0	12	0	0
1964	CLE	1	1	27	114	4.2	114.0	27.0	46	0	3	37	12.3	23	0	0
1965	CLE	1	1	12	50	4.2	50.0	12.0	15	0	3	44	14.7	30	0	0
Career		4	4	66	241	3.7	60.3	16.5	46	1	8	99	12.4	30	0	0

Comedy & NFL – Richard Pryor – Special Routine – 1982 – Excerpt From Richard Pryor Live On Sunset Strip Concert – “Richard Pryor On Jim Brown Coming To See Him”

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964	Rio Conchos	Sergeant Franklyn	First film
1967	I Spy	Tommy	Episode: “Cops and Robbers”
1967	The Dirty Dozen	Robert Jefferson
1968	Dark of the Sun	Ruffo	Lead
	Ice Station Zebra	Captain Leslie Anders
	The Split	McClain	Lead
1969	Riot	Cully Briston	Lead
	100 Rifles	Sheriff Lyedecker	Lead
	Kenner	Roy Kenner	Lead
1970	…tick…tick…tick…	Jimmy Price	Lead
	El Condor	Luke	Lead
	The Grasshopper	Tommy Marcott	Lead
1972	Slaughter	Slaughter	Lead
	Black Gunn	Gunn	Lead
1973	Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off	Slaughter	Lead
	The Slams	Curtis Hook	Lead
1974	I Escaped from Devil’s Island	Le Bras	Lead
	Three the Hard Way	Jimmy Lait	Lead
1975	Take a Hard Ride	Pike	Lead
1977	Police Story	Pete Gerard	Episode: “End of the Line”
1977	Kid Vengeance	Isaac
1978	Fingers	“Dreems”
	Pacific Inferno	Clyde Preston	Lead
1982	One Down, Two to Go	“J”	Lead
1979–1983	CHiPs	Romo / Parkdale H.S. Shop Teacher John Casey	3 episodes
1984	Knight Rider	C. J. Jackson	Episode: “Knight of the Drones”
1983–1984	T. J. Hooker	Detective Jim Cody / Frank Barnett	2 episodes
1984	Cover Up	Calvin Tyler	Episode: “Midnight Highway”
1985	Lady Blue	Stoker	pilot episode
1986	The A-Team	“Steamroller”	Episode: “Quarterback Sneak”
1987	The Running Man	“Fireball”
1988	I’m Gonna Git You Sucka	“Slammer”
1989	L.A. Heat	Captain
	Crack House	Steadman
1990	Killing American Style	“Sunset”
	Twisted Justice	Morris
	Hammer, Slammer, & Slade	“Slammer”
1992	The Divine Enforcer	King
1996	Original Gangstas	Jake Trevor
	Mars Attacks!	Byron Williams
1998	He Got Game	Spivey
	Small Soldiers	Butch Meathook	Voice
1999	New Jersey Turnpikes	Unknown
	Any Given Sunday	Montezuma Monroe
2002	On the Edge	Chad Grant
2004	She Hate Me	Geronimo Armstrong
	Sucker Free City	Don Strickland
2005	Animal	Berwell
2006	Sideliners	Monroe
2010	Dream Street	Unknown
2014	Draft Day	Himself	Cameo
2019	The Black Godfather	Himself

 

 

 

 

NFL & News – Jim Brown – Cleveland Browns – Special News Clip – 2013 – A WKYC Channel 3 Cleveland Production Special – “Jimmy’s Take:   Jim Donovan Looks Back On The Life And Legacy Of Jim Brown”

 

 

 

NFL & Funerals – Jim Brown – 2023 – A US Tonight Production Special – “Jim Brown Funeral….Remembering Jim Brown”

 

 

 

Penning a conclusion to the life and legend of Jim Brown…..is like being asked to write the epitath for a mythical god…..who could do anything that he chose to do…..without boundaries or seeming less limitations…..for what can you write that hasn’t already been written…..cuz the truth be known, those of us that are Earthbound really only know the great feats of those with the mythical godly nature……while establishing himself as The Greatest lacrosse player to ever put a crosse in his hands…..who then came to every game on the gridiron with a body of steel and a will of iron against defenses that were totally focused on him…..as without doubt, he was also one of the best running backs of all time…..and honestly The Best in our Sportsphile opinion.  There was an ex NFL player named JC Caroline…..whom I would see at the barbershop…..as we were talking one day while waiting for a chair…..when he was telling me about his career…..so, I asked him what the hardest hit he ever took was…..and his response was “Getting run over by Jim Brown”.  From football the mystical one morphed into the greatest black action hero on the silver screen until The Rock came along some half-century later…..while he played in three favorite movies in “Running Man, The Dirty Dozen and Mars Attacks”.  As Maya Angelou said: “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.”…..and Jim Brown was a great soul who continually fought to uplift, defend and protect humanity…..just like any other superhero would do…..and Jim Brown continued to do just that throughout his entire life on Earth.  Jim Brown was more than just a great NFL Hall of Famer…..for he was a hall of fame human being!!!  In the parlance of the late great Duke Ellington….. Jim Brown is one of very few mortals that is “Beyond Category”  Even when he was debating the most vile, hateful Confederate racists Georgia Governor Lester Maddux live on TV in 1969, Jim Brown was always calm, collected and unflappable…..while dominating those who hated him with peace love and reasonableness.  He was a truly an AMAZING man…..whose amazing story is told very well through the video footage presented in this post…..which we hope you readers enjoyed. 

NFL – Jim Brown – 1964 Cleveland Browns – 2018 – A jstube36 Production Special – “Jim Brown: 1964 NFL Championship Colts at Browns ‘Anatomy Of A Championship'”