Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed
"The Juice", is a retired
American football player, football broadcaster,
actor, and
spokesman. He originally attained fame in sports as a
running back at the
collegiate and professional levels and was the first
NFL player to
rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, a mark he set during the
1973 season. While four other players passed the 2,000 rush yard mark he stands alone as the only player to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards in a 14-game season (the NFL changed to a 16 game season in 1978). He also holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average which stands at 143.1 ypg.
In 1995, Simpson was
acquitted of the murder of
Nicole Simpson and
Ronald Goldman after a
lengthy, highly publicized criminal trial. A 1997 judgment against Simpson for their wrongful deaths was awarded in
civil court by a jury, but to date he has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment.
["O.J. Simpson ordered to stop spending." CNN. May 3, 2007.] He gained further notoriety in late 2006 when he wrote a book titled
If I Did It. The book, which purports to be a first-person fictional account of the murder had he actually committed it, was withdrawn by the publisher just before its release. The book was later released by the Goldman family.