In Memoriam

In Memoriam : Jim Brown, legendary NFL running back, activist, and actor

Jim Brown, the legendary NFL running back who retired at age 30 to focus on the civil rights movement and a career in Hollywood, has died.

Published

3 years ago

May 19, 2023

UVM Staff

First photo: Topps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Brown_1959_Topps.jpg Second Photo : Harry Edwards, Professor Emeritus of University of California in Berkeley and Jim Brown, Hall of Fame running back for the NFL Browns during interview with general press at the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library. (Photo by Marsha Miller | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Brown_at_LBJ_Foundation_2014.jpg) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Brown_at_LBJ_Foundation_2014.jpg)

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Jim Brown, the legendary NFL running back who retired at age 30 to focus on the civil rights movement and a career in Hollywood, has died.

He was 87.

Jim Brown dead at 87

“It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my husband, Jim Brown,” his wife Monique Brown wrote on Instagram. “He passed peacefully last night at our LA home. To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star. To our family, he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken…”

Legendary pro football player

Brown was an exceptional running back, who led the NFL in rushing a record eight times in his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns and rushed for a record 12,312 yards.

Jim Brown (Photo Source: Public Domain)

He played in nine Pro Bowls and was an NFL champion in 1964. In his final season, Brown rushed for a career-high 1,544 yards.

“One of the greatest players in NFL history, a true pioneer and activist. Jim Brown’s legacy will live on forever,” the NFL tweeted.

Brown won multiple MVP awards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Brown is also considered one of the greatest lacrosse players in history, earning first and second team All-America honors while scoring more than 70 goals in two seasons at Syracuse University.

He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1983.

First photo: Topps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Brown_1959_Topps.jpg

Second Photo : Harry Edwards, Professor Emeritus of University of California in Berkeley and Jim Brown, Hall of Fame running back for the NFL Browns during interview with general press at the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library. (Photo by Marsha Miller | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Brown_at_LBJ_Foundation_2014.jpg)

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Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family-operated online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.