Jim Brown Dies at 87; Hall of Famer Won NFL Championship, 3 MVP Awards with Browns

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Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown died Thursday at age 87.

According to Tom Withers of the Associated Press, a Brown family spokesperson said he died peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Thursday night with his wife of 26 years, Monique, by his side.

In a nine-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns that spanned from 1957 through 1965, Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler, eight-time first-team All-Pro, three-time NFL MVP and one-time NFL champion.

Remembering the “indelible light” Brown brought to the world, the Cleveland Browns organization honored him Friday on Twitter:

Brown’s wife and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also released statements regarding the passing of the all-time great football star:

Following his standout collegiate career at Syracuse University, Cleveland made Brown the No. 6 pick in the 1957 draft.

He hit the ground running by winning both the NFL Rookie of the Year Award and NFL MVP Award in his debut season by rushing for a league-high 942 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.

Brown was also named NFL MVP in 1958 when he rushed for 1,527 yards and a career-high 17 touchdowns. His third and final MVP was earned in his last NFL season in 1965 when he rushed for 1,544 yards and 17 scores.

Overall, Brown rushed for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns on 2,359 carries during his career, while also catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and another 20 touchdowns.

Brown led the NFL in rushing yardage eight times and rushing touchdowns five times, and he ranks 11th in NFL history in rushing yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns despite playing in just 118 games.

He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns from scrimmage, and he never missed a game during his illustrious career.

Given how much he accomplished in less than a decade in the NFL, Brown is still widely regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time.

Upon retiring, Brown transitioned into the role of Hollywood actor and carved out a second highly successful career, appearing in more than 50 movies and television shows from 1964 through 2019.

Aside from football and acting, Brown is perhaps best known for being a social and civil rights activist, beginning in the 1960s.

Per Withers, Brown organized a meeting in 1967 with other Black superstar athletes in Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam War.

Brown also fought to prevent gang violence and set up programs to help disadvantaged inner-city youth and ex-convicts.

Just six years after retiring from the NFL, Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, and he was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995, further cementing his status as one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.