Happy Birthday Jim Brown

“Money has changed today's black athletes. Those who have the ability as African men to bring a change in a community that so desperately needs it are concentrating only on their own careers, some charities and how much money they can make” - Jim Brown

(Jim Brown)

Jim Brown was born as James Nathaniel Brown, February 17th, 1936 in St. Simons, Georgia, USA. Brown was a great athlete in high school receiving 13 letters from colleges for football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball and track. In 1953 he attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY.

(Jim Brown in college)

He was a unanimous all American in football. He also played basketball, track, and lacrosse during college. In 1957 Brown was taken in the 1st round NFL draft to the Cleveland Browns. He played for the Browns for 9 years. Within those 9 years he was the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549). He was the first player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since. Brown holds the record for total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 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.Every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl, and he left the league by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game. Brown's 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remain a Cleveland franchise record. It 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. In 1964 the Cleveland Browns won the NFL championship. In 1964 Brown began an acting career and played a buffalo soldier in the movie Rio Conchos. Brown retired July of 1966.

(Jim Brown playing for the Cleveland Browns in 1966)

In 1971 Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brown’s most memorable roles were in the movies The Dirty Dozen (1967), and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). In 1978 Brown served as a color analyst on NFL telecasts. In 1989 Brown published his autobiography titled Out of Bounds.

(Jim Brown (Left) with Isaac Hayes (Right) in the movie I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988))

In 1988 he founded the Amer-I-Can program where he worked with youth caught up in gangs in Los Angeles, CA. In 1993, Brown was hired as a color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a role he occupied for the first six pay-per-view events. In 1999 Brown was convicted of misdemeanor vandalism for damaging his wife’s car and served several months in jail. In 2002 director Spike Lee released a documentary on Jim Brown’s life called Jim Brown: All-American. In 2008, Brown initiated a lawsuit against Sony and EA Sports for using his likeness in the Madden NFL video game series without his consent. On May 29, 2013 Brown was named special advisor to the Cleveland Browns.

(Jim Brown as the special advisor to the Cleveland Browns)

Today is his 80th birthday and we would all like to say happy birthday Jim Brown.

Movies Featuring Jim Brown

• Rio Conchos (1964) as Sgt. Fraklyn
• The Dirty Dozen (1967) as Robert Jefferson
• Dark of the Sun (1968) as Ruffo
• Ice Station Zebra (1968) as Capt. Leslie Anders
• The Split (1968) as McClain
• Riot (1969) as Cully Briston
• 100 Rifles (1969) as Lyedecker
• The Grasshopper (1969) as Tommy Marcott
• Kenner (1969) as Roy Kenner
• ...tick...tick...tick… (1970) as Jimmy Price
• El Condor (1970) as Luke
• Slaughter (1972) as Slaughter
• Black Gunn (1972) as Gunn
• Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off (1973) as Slaughter
• The Slams (1973) as Curtis Hook
• I Escaped From Devil’s Island (1974) as Le Bras
• Three the Hard Way (1974) as Jimmy Lait
• Take a Hard Ride (1975) as Pike
• Vengeance (1977) as Isaac
• Fingers (1978) as Dreems
• Pacific Inferno (1978) as Clyde Preston
• One Down, Two to Go (1982) as J
• Lady Blue (1985) as Stoker
• The Running Man (1987) as Fireball
• I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) as Slammer
• L.A. Heat (1989) as Captain
• Crack House (1989) as Steadman
• Killing American Style (1990) as Sunset
• Twisted Justice (1990) as Morris
• Hammer, Slammer, & Slade (1990) as Slammer
• The Divine Enforcer (1992) as King
• Original Gangstas (1996) as Jake Trevor
• Mars Attacks! (1996) as Byron Williams
• He Got Game (1998) as Spivey
• Small Soldiers (1998) as Butch Meathook
• New Jersey Turnpikes (1999) Unknown
• Any Given Sunday (1999) as Montezuma Monroe
• On the Edge (2002) as Chad Grant
• She Hate Me (2004) as Geronimo Armstrong
• Sucker Free City (2004) as Don Strickland
• Animal (2005) as Berwell
• Sideliners (2006) as Monroe
• Dream Street (2010) Unknown
• Draft Day (2014) as Himself

Books related to Jim Brown

• Out of Bounds (1989) by Jim Brown and Steve Delsohn

Videos including Jim Brown

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfQUJwCo7T8 “Jim Brown Career Highlight | NFL”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGupe7nKuU  “Top Jim Brown Greatest Running Back Ever! Compilation”