OJ Simpson

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Truly gifted athlete. I remember during the Gophers were pounding on him during a USC visit to Memorial Stadium in 1968. Couldn't watch the game in those days, but listened intently. Simpson ended up with 375 all-purpose yards (236 rushing). I remember the highlight from the 10 o'clock news when the game hung in the balance and Simpson hit the second level on a carry and he was just gone. And I mean GONE!

It was the same when he got to the pros. Teams would stack the box and bottle him up for awhile and then he'd hit the second level on a carry and the 9.3 100 speed would kick in.

Obviously had troubles post-football, but just looking at the athlete on the field, he was really something to watch.
 

My brother ran track at the U. In 1968 the 440 relay team ran against USC at the NCAA finals. Minnesota and SC were in lanes next to each other. My brother was about 5'7" & 140 lbs standing next to OJ. They both ran the third leg where the slower guys on the team are placed. USC won easily but my always claimed their lead was not increased by the Juice.
 



GopherPD said:
My brother ran track at the U. In 1968 the 440 relay team ran against USC at the NCAA finals. Minnesota and SC were in lanes next to each other. My brother was about 5'7" & 140 lbs standing next to OJ. They both ran the third leg where the slower guys on the team are placed. USC won easily but my always claimed their lead was not increased by the Juice.
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The USC 440 relay team that Simpson was on actually held the world record of 38.16 seconds for a bit.
 

I was at that 1968 Gopher-USC game. Simpson and the USC offensive line were the difference.

No question Simpson was a great football player in college and the pros.

he had a big cultural impact - one of the most popular TV commercials of the era (for Hertz Rent-A-Car) had Simpson running through an airport and jumping over luggage.

as an actor - pretty wooden. He was OK in the Naked Gun movies by essentially spoofing his own image. but movies like "The Towering Inferno" he was slightly more expressive than a mannequin.

and then.....I can still remember watching that NBA playoff game and the TV reports started breaking in with OJ in the white Bronco in that bizarre chase down the freeway. One of my High School buddies called me and we sat and talked (on a land-line phone) while watching it and hardly believing what we were seeing.

if you are not old enough to remember the trial - it was a circus, even without the internet or today's 24/7 media coverage. OJ trying on the gloves - "if they do not fit, you must acquit."

BTW- someone on Twitter posted 11 minutes of clips of Norm McDonald making OJ jokes on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update.
 

50PoundHead said:
The USC 440 relay team that Simpson was on actually held the world record of 38.16 seconds for a bit.
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The team included Earl McCullough who was later a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. He also held the world record in the high hurdles. The anchor runner was a silver medal winner in the 100 meter dash at the 1968 Olympics; he ran for Jamaica.
 




Obviously not a good human.
But he was the best running back ever.

Best. Running. Back. Ever.
 



O.J. Simpson is a modern-day Othello.

"If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" - Johnny Cochran.
 








Out State Gopher said:
Now since his death can his civil judgement be satisfied?
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West Fargo Gopher Fan said:
Thats what Im interested to see. You know the Goldmans will go after the Estate
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Laws will vary by state. The Goldmans will be able to pursue their claims against the estate. There may be some collectible assets found, but I don't think he ever paid much and the judgment against him, including the interest that has been accruing over all these years, must be way more than the initial amount. ($33 million, I think I heard?) I have never seen anything suggesting that he had that kind of money, so there is unlikely to be enough to satisfy the judgment. I would certainly guess that he was careful over the years not to accumulate wealth in his own name to protect that wealth from the judgment creditors.

His non-collectible assets will pass to his family or as directed by his will.
 


50PoundHead said:
Truly gifted athlete. I remember during the Gophers were pounding on him during a USC visit to Memorial Stadium in 1968. Couldn't watch the game in those days, but listened intently. Simpson ended up with 375 all-purpose yards (236 rushing). I remember the highlight from the 10 o'clock news when the game hung in the balance and Simpson hit the second level on a carry and he was just gone. And I mean GONE!

It was the same when he got to the pros. Teams would stack the box and bottle him up for awhile and then he'd hit the second level on a carry and the 9.3 100 speed would kick in.

Obviously had troubles post-football, but just looking at the athlete on the field, he was really something to watch.
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One of the most memorable Gopher games I've seen in person. In the second half USC scored, took the lead, and kicked off. We had played them very tough and it was a close game. The Gopher return guy fielded it and started up field close to the sidelines. He stopped and threw an across the field lateral pass to a Gopher all by himself on the other sidelines. That guy caught and went down the field to score putting us ahead by 3 or 4 points (?). The whole place went nuts.

Then USC got the ball and marched down the field with O.J. doing the damage. I don't remember any long TD runs by him but he'd get big hunks of yardage. USC regained the lead and they might have gotten another TD also.
 


What type of celebration - promotion will there be when we host USC? Retire #32? All dress in Orange? Discount if you donate a Ron Popeil knife or pocket fisherman? Glove night? White Ford Bronco giveaway? They have to do something.
 

spermophilus said:
Jim Brown and Barry Sanders both have their hands raised, and would like to ask a question.
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and Dickerson, and Payton... All great backs. I remember seeing highlights of O.J. vs Our Gophers. Odd that this would be the year we play SC here as a conference game.
 



SelectionSunday said:
The Juice is no longer loose.

He's now in a place more suitable for him.
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NM: "In his book, OJ Simpson says that he would have taken a bullet or stood in front of a train for Nicole. Man, I'm gonna tell you, that is some bad luck when the one guy who would have died for you, kills you. You don't get worse luck than that."

"According to the National Transportation Safety Board, sleepy truckers are responsible for 1,000 deaths a year. In second place, OJ Simpson at two deaths a year."

"This week at the OJ Simpson trial, the infamous bloody glove was finally introduced into evidence. And OJ didn't help his case any by blurting out, 'There it is, I've been looking all over for that thing!'"

“OJ Simpson was in a different kind of courtroom this week attempting to regain custody of his two children. In order to prove to the court how much he loves his kids, OJ pointed out quote ‘Hey, they’re still alive, aren’t they?’”
 

Out State Gopher said:
What type of celebration - promotion will there be when we host USC? Retire #32? All dress in Orange? Discount if you donate a Ron Popeil knife or pocket fisherman? Glove night? White Ford Bronco giveaway? They have to do something.
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I don't think promotions is your thing. Maybe you should focus on tracking down the next NDSU conference rumor?
 

USAF said:
Jim Brown is close.
Barry Sanders? LOL.
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spermophilus said:
Jim Brown and Barry Sanders both have their hands raised, and would like to ask a question.
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Greatest is always difficult to discern. I think the thing with Simpson is that he was the first sprinter I recall playing RB. There were scat backs and such, but there was a shift in the paradigm with Simpson. Brown clearly was on another planet athletically than most of the players in his era as he was as big as most LBs and faster than all of them. The thing with Simpson is that he was faster than most DBs. Sanders was shiftier than either of them and probably had better instincts.
 

USAF said:
Jim Brown is close.
Barry Sanders? LOL.
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I don't know how it can be argued that Simpson was a better player than Sanders was. I know stats aren't everything but comparing the two they aren't really close. OJ had a total of five seasons where he rushed for 800+ yards in the NFL. He was very dominant over that 5-year span but was very average over the other 6. Barry was dominant all 10 years he played. Simpson didn't dominate long enough IMO.

If you're only looking at college, I can maybe see an argument. However, Barry's final season was one of the greatest seasons a college player has ever had at any position.
 

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