O. J. Simpson
Photo: Jeno's · Public domain

Person in history

O. J. Simpson

O. J. Simpson, American football player, actor, and broadcaster (born 1947)

Life at a glance

Died
2024 · April 10
Known as
actor, athletics competitor, American football player, film actor, and sports commentator. Citizenship: United States

Their story

Who they were

Orenthal James Simpson, nicknamed "the Juice", was an American football player, actor, and media personality. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons—nine with the Buffalo Bills—and is regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. His success is widely considered to be overshadowed by his two criminal charges for the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, and the contentious criminal trial in which he was acquitted on both counts.

Early life

Educated at: Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, City College of San Francisco, and University of Southern California.

Early life Born in 1947 in San Francisco , California, Simpson was a son of Eunice ( née  Durden ), an orderly at a psychiatric ward , and Jimmy Lee Simpson, [ 1 ] a custodian for a Federal Reserve Bank and a private club and a cook. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] His father was also a well-known drag queen in the Bay Area and later in his life came out as gay. He died of AIDS in 1986. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Simpson's maternal grandparents were from Louisiana. [ 7 ]

Path and career

Awards / honours: Pro Football Hall of Fame and Associated Press Athlete of the Year.

Career statistics NFL AP NFL MVP & OPOTY NFL record Led the league Bold Career high Regular season NFL career regular season statistics Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Kickoff returns Fum GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Y/G A/G Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Y/G R/G Ret Yds Avg Lng TD 1969 BUF 13 0 181 697 3.9 32 2 53.6 13.9 30 343 11.4 55 3 26.4 2.3 21 529 25.2 73 0 6 1970 BUF 8 8 120 488 4.1 56 5 61.0 15.0 10 139 13.9 36 0 17.4 1.3 7 333 47.6 95 1 6 1971 BUF 14 14 183 742 4.1 46 5 53.0 13.1 21 162 7.7 38 0 11.6 1.5 4 107 26.8 43…

Career highlights Awards and honors NFL NFL Most Valuable Player (1973) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1973) 5× First-team All-Pro ( 1972 – 1976 ) 5× Pro Bowl ( 1972 – 1976 ) Pro Bowl MVP ( 1972 ) AFL All-Star (1969) AP Athlete of the Year (1973) SN Athlete of the Year (1973) Hickok Belt (1973) 3× UPI AFC Offensive Player of the Year (1972, 1973, 1975) 4× NFL rushing yards leader (1972, 1973, 1975, 1976) 2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1973,

Why this date

O. J. Simpson appears on our April 10 calendar for 2024 as a death entry.

Sources

Cite this page

“O. J. Simpson”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/people/o-j-simpson, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about O. J. Simpson

When did O. J. Simpson die?

April 10 2024.

Who else was born on this day?

The date page lists everyone we hold for that calendar day.

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