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159-581: Orenthal James Simpson (July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024), also known by his nickname " O. J. Simpson " or " The Juice ", was an American professional football player, actor, and media personality who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills . Simpson is regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time, but his success was overshadowed by his criminal trial and controversial acquittal for

318-465: A 100 m race at Stanford University against the then-British record holder Menzies Campbell . As Simpson rose in popularity, he avoided controversy, such as not participating in a boycott of the 1968 Olympics , which was supported by people like Martin Luther King Jr. as a protest against racial injustice in the U.S. As a senior in 1968, Simpson rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns in

477-422: A gridiron in appearance. Other major rule changes included a reduction of the field size to 110 by 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (100.6 m × 48.8 m) and the adoption of a scoring system that awarded four points for a touchdown, two for a safety and a goal following a touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage

636-403: A halftime period, and the first and third quarters are followed by a short break. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss . The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless

795-401: A 10-yard-long chain between them, are used to measure for a first down. The chain crew stays on the sidelines during the game, but if requested by the officials they will briefly bring the chains on to the field to measure. A typical chain crew will have at least three people—two members of the chain crew will hold either of the two sticks, while a third will hold the down marker. The down marker,

954-423: A 1993–94 Ford Bronco and Brown's dog, being found on a black leather glove recovered from Simpson's home. The other glove in the pair was found at Brown's condo. The defense claimed that the glove found at Brown's condo did not fit Simpson's hand. In response, prosecutors theorized that Simpson had not been taking anti-inflammatory medications for his arthritis , which would make his hand swell if he tried to put on

1113-525: A PAT attempt or successful field goal, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A safety is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in the carrier's own end zone. Safeties are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick . Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along

1272-403: A call from Marguerite, who alleged that Simpson was physically violent towards her. She refused to press charges against him. In an interview with Barbara Walters in 1995, Marguerite denied allegations that a police officer responded to a domestic violence call during her marriage to Simpson. She said the alleged incident "is just not true" and "all made up." Marguerite also denied rumors that she

1431-481: A career-high 426 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns that season. Simpson again led the league in rushing in 1976 , rushing for 1,503 yards and eight touchdowns. He had the best game of his career during that season's Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions on November 25. In that game, Simpson rushed for a then-record 273 yards on 29 attempts and scored two touchdowns. Despite Simpson's performance,

1590-442: A child is sickly, either with rickets or any other ailment that prevents ossification of the bones or is improperly fed, the bowed condition may persist. Thus the chief cause of this deformity is rickets . Skeletal problems, infection , and tumors can also affect the growth of the leg, sometimes giving rise to a one-sided bow-leggedness. The remaining causes are occupational, especially among jockeys , and from physical trauma ,

1749-519: A common draft that would take place each year, and it instituted an annual World Championship game to be played between the champions of each league. This championship game began play at the end of the 1966 season. Once the merger was completed, it was no longer a championship game between two leagues and reverted to the NFL championship game, which came to be known as the Super Bowl . College football maintained

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1908-501: A dramatic, fractious, mutually obsessed couple before they married, after they married, after they divorced in 1992, and after they reconciled." In the June 3, 2024 edition of People , Brown's sister Denise stated that Simpson was at times volatile to Brown early into their relationship, including on one occasion in 1977 where he "flipped out" and "had her upstairs in the bathroom crying. He said, 'You embarrassed me. ' " after seeing Nicole kiss

2067-567: A feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to "selling refrigerators to Eskimos ". Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia then agreed to intercollegiate play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association , although Yale did not join until 1879. Yale player Walter Camp , now regarded as

2226-480: A few months before the two murders he was accused of. Simpson played the leader of a group of former United States Navy SEALs named John "Bullfrog" Burke who operated out of a surf shop in Malibu . NBC had not yet decided whether to order the series when Simpson's arrest canceled the project. NBC executive Preston Beckman collected each copy of Frogmen to ensure that no copy leaked to the media. While searching his home,

2385-453: A field goal instead. A group of officials, the chain crew, keeps track of both the downs and the distance measurements. On television, a yellow line is electronically superimposed on the field to show the first down line to the viewing audience. There are two categories of kicks in football: scrimmage kicks, which can be executed by the offensive team on any down from behind or on the line of scrimmage, and free kicks. The free kicks are

2544-428: A game between Yale and Princeton, both teams used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records. Each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0–0 tie. This "block game" proved extremely unpopular with both teams' spectators and fans. A rule change was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed

2703-576: A game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of a player being paid to participate in a game of American football , although many athletic clubs in the 1880s offered indirect benefits, such as helping players attain employment, giving out trophies or watches that players could pawn for money, or paying double in expense money. Despite these extra benefits,

2862-533: A large stick with a dial on it, is flipped after each play to indicate the current down and is typically moved to the approximate spot of the ball. The chain crew system has been used for over 100 years and is considered an accurate measure of distance, rarely subject to criticism from either side. Football is a full-contact sport, and injuries are relatively common. Most injuries occur during training sessions, particularly ones that involve contact between players. To try to prevent injuries, players are required to wear

3021-553: A league-suggested numbering scheme. Although the sport is played almost exclusively by men, women are eligible to play in high school, college, and professional football. No woman has ever played in the NFL, but women have played in high school and college football games. In 2018, 1,100 of the 225,000 players in Pop Warner Little Scholars youth football were girls, and around 11% of the 5.5 million Americans who report playing tackle football are female according to

3180-408: A long circumference of 28 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (71 to 72 cm), and a short circumference of 21 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). In college and high school play the ball has a long axis of 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 to 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (27.6 to 29.1 cm), a long circumference of 27 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (70 to 72 cm), and

3339-461: A melee of the two teams stopped the fight and ended up in a pile on the field. Lunsford and Simpson were ejected from the game as the Patriots' solid defense persisted, with New England winning 20–10 to finish the 1976 season 11–3. The Bills finished 2–12. Simpson played only seven games in 1977 due to injury. Before the 1978 season (the last year on his three-year contract that paid him $ 733,000),

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3498-420: A minimum of 10 feet (3.0 m) on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright as indicators of wind strength and direction. The football itself is a prolate spheroid leather ball, similar to the balls used in rugby or Australian rules football . To contain the compressed air within it, a pig's bladder was commonly used before

3657-404: A mutual male friend on the cheek after she and her family went to upstate New York to attend a Buffalo Bills game which Simpson was playing in. Brown claimed that by the end of 1989, police had visited her and Simpson's house eight times for domestic violence calls, and they did not help her in any of them. On December 31, she phoned the police, saying that she thought he was going to kill her. She

3816-670: A national champion of college football. The first was the Bowl Coalition , in place from 1992 to 1994. This was replaced in 1995 by the Bowl Alliance , which gave way to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1997. The BCS arrangement proved to be controversial , and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on

3975-428: A pass hits the ground without a player having caught it. A forward pass can be legally attempted only if the passer is behind the line of scrimmage; only one forward pass can be attempted per down. As in rugby, players can also pass the ball backwards at any point during a play. In the NFL, a down also ends immediately if the runner's helmet comes off. The offense is given a series of four plays, known as downs . If

4134-806: A play on "OJ", a common abbreviation for orange juice. After retiring with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, he acted in film and television, became a sportscaster , and was a spokesman for a wide variety of products and companies, notably Hertz . He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. In June 1994, Simpson was charged with murdering Brown and Goldman after they were stabbed to death in Los Angeles. His eight-month murder trial received international publicity and exacerbated racial divisions in

4293-532: A prank on everyday people while secretly filming them. At the end of each prank, he would shout, "You've been Juiced!" Each episode opened with half-dressed models dancing around Simpson, who is dressed as a pimp and sings his own rap song. In one episode, Simpson is at a used car lot in Las Vegas, where he attempts to sell a white Ford Bronco (the SUV model that became infamous during his 1994 police chase ). A bullet hole in

4452-427: A quarter ends, play continues until the down is completed. If certain fouls are committed during play while time has expired, the quarter may be extended through an untimed down . Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. Time in a football game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating

4611-414: A round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent's goal. Rutgers won the game 6–4. Collegiate play continued for several years with games played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia , Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19, 1873, to create

4770-422: A rule in 1882 that limited each team to three downs , or tackles, to advance the ball 5 yards (4.6 m). Failure to advance the ball the required distance within those three downs would result in control of the ball being forfeited to the other team. This change effectively made American football a separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble

4929-436: A secondary signal. Women can serve as officials; Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female official in 2015. The seven officials (of a standard seven-man crew; lower levels of play up to the college level use fewer officials) on the field are each tasked with a different set of responsibilities: Another set of officials, the chain crew , are responsible for moving the chains. The chains, consisting of two large sticks with

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5088-512: A set of equipment. At a minimum players must wear a football helmet and a set of shoulder pads , but individual leagues may require additional padding such as thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouthguards . Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the knee, but a significant number also affect the upper extremities. The most common types of injuries are strains , sprains , bruises , fractures , dislocations , and concussions . Bowlegged If

5247-410: A short circumference of 20 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by

5406-452: A standard set of rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified. Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. After playing McGill University using both American (known as "the Boston game ") for the first game and Canadian (rugby) rules for

5565-585: A street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. His future wife Marguerite, whom he dated in high school, described him as "really an awful person then." He was arrested three times. After his third arrest, Simpson happened to meet baseball star Willie Mays , who encouraged the youth to avoid trouble. He said it helped persuade him to reform. Simpson first practiced sports at

5724-449: A tradition of postseason bowl games . Each bowl game was associated with a particular conference and earning a spot in a bowl game was the reward for winning a conference. This arrangement was profitable, but it tended to prevent the two top-ranked teams from meeting in a true national championship game, as they would normally be committed to the bowl games of their respective conferences. Several systems have been used since 1992 to determine

5883-619: A transfer student for football. In 1967, Simpson enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, which he had admired as a young football fan. He had also considered going to the University of Utah . He played running back with the Trojans for head coach John McKay in 1967 and 1968 . Simpson led the nation in rushing both years under McKay: in 1967 with 1,543 yards and 13 touchdowns, and in 1968 with 1,880 yards on 383 carries. In 1967's Victory Bell rivalry game between

6042-438: A unique decision for a conservative, dominant corporation to fend off its rival, No. 2 Avis . Besides helping his acting career, Simpson estimated that the very successful "superstar in rent-a-car" campaign raised the recognition rate among people he met from 30% to 90%. Hertz's annual profit increased by 50% to $ 42.2 million within the first year, brand awareness increased by more than 40%, and 97% of viewers understood that

6201-503: Is another contributing factor. Rickets may also have genetic causes, occasionally called resistant rickets. Rickets usually causes bone deformities in all four extremities. Genu varum may resolve spontaneously with modification of life style activities or after receiving medical treatment. Some deformities do not correct spontaneously and need surgical intervention especially if they are severe and causing gait difficulties. The main surgical modality used to treat genu varum arising from rickets

6360-425: Is called on the offense. There are two main ways the offense can advance the ball: running and passing . In a typical play, the center passes the ball backwards and between their legs to the quarterback in a process known as the snap . The quarterback then either hands the ball off to a running back, throws the ball, or runs with it. The play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out-of-bounds or

6519-437: Is caught or recovered behind the line of scrimmage. If it is touched or recovered by the kicking team beyond this line, it becomes dead at the spot where it was touched. The kicking team is prohibited from interfering with the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. The receiving team has the option of signaling for a fair catch , which prohibits the defense from blocking into or tackling the receiver. The play ends as soon as

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6678-425: Is guided growth surgery, also known as growth modulation surgery. Blount's disease is a deformity in the legs, mostly from the knees to the ankles. The affected bone curves in or out and forms the usual "archers bow" which can also be called bow-legs. There are two types of Blount's disease. The first type is Infantile: this means that children under four are diagnosed with this disease. Blount's disease in this age

6837-406: Is guided growth surgery, also known as growth modulation surgery. Treatment for children with Blount's disease is typically braces but surgery may also be necessary. In children guided growth surgery is used to gradually correct/straighten the bow legs. For teenagers osteotomy or bone cutting is often used to correct the bone deformity. The operation consists of removing a piece of tibia, breaking

6996-403: Is known as a two-point conversion . In general, the extra point is almost always successful, while the two-point conversion is a much riskier play with a higher probability of failure; accordingly, extra point attempts are far more common than two-point conversion attempts. A field goal (FG), worth three points, is scored when the ball is place kicked or drop kicked through the uprights and over

7155-410: Is required for idiopathic presentation as it is a normal anatomical variant in young children. Treatment is indicated when it persists beyond 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 years old. In the case of unilateral presentation or progressive worsening of the curvature, when caused by rickets , the most important thing is to treat the constitutional disease , at the same time instructing the care-giver never to place

7314-407: Is responsible for all kicking plays. The special teams unit of the team in control of the ball tries to execute field goal (FG) attempts, punts , and kickoffs , while the opposing team's unit will aim to block or return them. Three positions are specific to the field goal and PAT (point-after-touchdown) unit: the placekicker (K or PK), holder (H), and long snapper (LS). The long snapper's job

7473-421: Is to block members of the defensive line from tackling the ball carrier on running plays or sacking the quarterback on passing plays. The leader of the offensive line is the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, blocking, and for making sure that the other linemen do their jobs during the play. On either side of the center are the guards (G), while tackles (T) line up outside

7632-437: Is to snap the football to the holder, who will catch and position it for the placekicker. There is not usually a holder on kickoffs, because the ball is kicked off a tee; however, a holder may be used in certain situations, such as if wind is preventing the ball from remaining upright on the tee. The player on the receiving team who catches the ball is known as the kickoff returner (KR). The positions specific to punt plays are

7791-453: Is very risky because sometimes it is not detected and it passes to the second type of Blount's disease. The second type of Blount's disease is found mostly in older children and in teenagers, sometimes in one leg and sometimes in both; the patient's age determines how severe the diagnosis is. Osteochondrodysplasia are a diverse group of genetic bone diseases or genetic skeletal dysplasias that manifest in generalized bone deformities involving

7950-589: The 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants , still referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played". The game, a 23–17 overtime victory by the Colts, was seen by millions of television viewers and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. This, along with the innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become

8109-620: The 1994 NBA Finals to broadcast the incident live. With an estimated audience of 95 million people, the event was described as "the most famous ride on American shores since Paul Revere's ." Tens of thousands of people gathered on Los Angeles streets and highways to view the chase. The incident likely increased sales of the Ford Bronco by an additional 7,000 purchases in 1994 compared to 1993. Many advocates for victims of domestic violence consider Brown's death as instrumental in Congress prioritizing

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8268-576: The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers . Simpson was held to 49 rushing yards on fifteen carries to go with three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown as the Bills lost 32–14. Indeed, 1974 would be one of only three winning seasons the Bills would tally in Simpson's nine years with the team. Simpson began acting while at USC and appeared on Dragnet in an uncredited role as a potential recruit to

8427-459: The Frogmen film. Co-star Evan Handler said the studio's decision not to air it or release it on home video, and forego an estimated $ 14 million in profits, was "just about the only proof you have that there is some dignity in the advertising and television business." In 2006, Simpson starred in his own improv -based hidden-camera prank TV show, Juiced . Typical of the genre, Simpson would play

8586-574: The Heisman Trophy went to Gary Beban ; Simpson was second in voting. Simpson was an aspiring track athlete. Before playing football at USC, he ran the third leg of a sprint relay quartet that broke the world record in the 4 × 110-yard relay at the NCAA track championships in Provo, Utah on June 17, 1967. They had a time of 38.6 seconds. Also that year, he had a 100-yard dash time of 9.53 seconds. He lost

8745-534: The Lindbergh kidnapping . It was televised via a remote-control camera installed above the jury box, and it increased public interest in reality television and understanding of DNA evidence . It influenced the creation of the LAPD's DNA crime lab , and California added Section 1109 to the state's Evidence Code, "allowing uncharged conduct and other evidence of prior abuse to be shown to jurors in similar cases." Minor figures in

8904-544: The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He became a professional actor before playing professional football, appearing in the first episode of Medical Center —as Cicely Tyson 's husband despite being 23 years her junior—while negotiating his contract with the Bills. Before Simpson's murder trial , sportswriter Ralph Wiley wrote in 2002, white people considered Simpson a "unifying symbol of all races." History professor Lou Moore said that this made Simpson

9063-575: The Lovelock Correctional Center in rural Nevada until being paroled and released in 2017. For the remainder of his life, he resided in Florida and Nevada. 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, a custodian for a Federal Reserve Bank and a private club and a cook. His father

9222-447: The NFL rushing title four times. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility. In 2019, he was named to the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team . Simpson also occasionally returned kickoffs during his early career, finishing with 33 returns for 990 yards and a touchdown, an average of 30 yards per return. Simpson acquired

9381-434: The housing projects of the low-income Potrero Hill neighborhood. As a child, Simpson developed rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five, giving him his bowlegged stance. He earned money by scalping tickets and collecting seat cushions at Kezar Stadium . After his parents separated in 1952 (when Simpson was 4), he and his siblings were raised by their mother. In his early teenage years, Simpson joined

9540-411: The kickoff , which starts the first and third quarters and overtime and follows a try attempt or a successful field goal; the safety kick follows a safety. On a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 35-yard line of the kicking team in professional and college play and at the 40-yard line in high school play. The ball may be drop kicked or place kicked. If a place kick is chosen, the ball can be placed on

9699-407: The punter (P), long snapper, upback , and gunner . The long snapper snaps the football directly to the punter, who then drops and kicks it before it hits the ground. Gunners line up split outside the line and race down the field, aiming to tackle the punt returner (PR)—the player who catches the punt. Upbacks line up a short distance behind the line of scrimmage, providing additional protection to

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9858-462: The "Father of American Football", secured rule changes in 1880 that reduced the size of each team from 15 to 11 players and instituted the snap to replace the chaotic and inconsistent scrum . While the game between Rutgers and Princeton is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in

10017-515: The "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone , and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of

10176-501: The 12th, he had been at home, waiting for a limousine to take him to an airport for a flight to Chicago. After police gathered all the evidence, charges were filed and a warrant was signed for Simpson's arrest. Simpson, in agreement with his attorneys, was scheduled to turn himself in at approximately 11:00 a.m. to the Parker Center police headquarters on the morning of June 17. Simpson failed to turn himself in, and he later became

10335-460: The 2,000-yard mark since Simpson, his record was established when the NFL had only 14 games per season, as opposed to the 16-game seasons that began in 1978. In 2013, Simpson was reported still holding the rushing record for 14 games. Simpson gained over 1,000 rushing yards in the next three seasons. He did not lead the league in rushing in 1974 , but did cross the 1,000-yard barrier despite a knee injury. In game 11 of 1974, he passed Ken Willard as

10494-531: The AFL New York Jets signed rookie Joe Namath to a then-record $ 437,000 contract (equivalent to $ 4.23 million in 2023). A five-year, $ 40 million NBC television contract followed, which helped to sustain the young league. The bidding war for players ended in 1966 when NFL owners approached the AFL regarding a merger, and the two leagues agreed on one that took full effect in 1970. This agreement provided for

10653-657: The Bills lost the game 27–14. A low light that season came during a game against the New England Patriots a few weeks earlier when defensive end Mel Lunsford and several other Patriots defenders stuffed the superstar running back for no gain. Still, as Simpson tried to continue driving forward, Lunsford bodyslammed him to the ground. Simpson got up and punched Lunsford, which prompted Lunsford to swing back. Bills offensive lineman Reggie McKenzie then jumped on Lunsford's back. Still, Lunsford bent down and flung McKenzie over his head. He went back to swinging at Simpson before

10812-586: The Bills traded Simpson to his hometown San Francisco 49ers for five draft picks (2nd and 3rd round draft pick for 1978 , a 1st round and 4th round pick for 1979 , and a 2nd round pick for 1980 ); Simpson had tried to get the Bills to engineer a trade to the Los Angeles Rams prior to 1976 because of him and his wife's preference for the West Coast. The team previously had Delvin Williams and Wilbur Jackson in

10971-576: The FCS and 85 scholarship players in the FBS, respectively. Individual players in a football game must be designated with a uniform number between 1 and 99, though some teams may "retire" certain numbers , making them unavailable to players. NFL teams are required to number their players by a league-approved numbering system, and any exceptions must be approved by the commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to

11130-626: The Potrero Hill Recreation Center, which welcomed Black people. At Galileo High School (now Galileo Academy of Science and Technology ) in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school football team, the Galileo Lions. He played as a tackle and then as a fullback . Meanwhile, he started earning money by organizing dances and charging admission. He graduated in 1965. Although Simpson was an All-City football player at Galileo, his mediocre high-school grades prevented him from attracting

11289-452: The Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The role of the offensive unit is to advance the football down the field with the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown . The offensive team must line up in a legal formation before they can snap the ball. An offensive formation is considered illegal if there are more than four players in the backfield or fewer than five players numbered 50–79 on

11448-587: The State of California was led by Marcia Clark and Christopher A. Darden . The judge was Lance Ito . The trial ran from January to October 1995, making it the longest trial in California history. The jury sequestered for 266 days, also the longest in California history. It ended up including 10 Black people in a 12-person jury. The trial was often characterized as the " trial of the century " because of its international publicity, likened to that of Sacco and Vanzetti and

11607-514: The U.S., culminating with his acquittal in October 1995. Three years later, he was found liable for the murders in a civil suit from the victims' families but paid little of the $ 33.5 million judgment. In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. He was convicted the following year and sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment with a minimum of nine years without parole. Simpson served his sentence at

11766-579: The United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football, is a sport in which two competing teams vie for control of a ball, which can be kicked through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent's goal area to score points. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between Rutgers and Princeton , two college teams. They consisted of 25 players per team and used

11925-461: The United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football , is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop

12084-455: The United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865. The introduction of the snap resulted in an unexpected consequence. Before the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position. However, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they could now hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, in

12243-547: The United States: official time was kept on a scoreboard clock rather than on a watch in the referee's pocket, as the NFL did; optional two-point conversions by pass or run after touchdowns; names on the jerseys of players; and several others, including expansion of the role of minority players, actively recruited by the league in contrast to the NFL. The AFL also signed several star college players who had also been drafted by NFL teams. Competition for players heated up in 1965, when

12402-460: The advent of artificial rubber inside the leather outer shell to sustain crushing forces . At all levels of play, the football is inflated to 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 + 1 ⁄ 2  psi (86 to 93 kPa), or just under one atmosphere, and weighs 14 to 15 ounces (400 to 430 g); beyond that, the exact dimensions vary slightly. In professional play the ball has a long axis of 11 to 11 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (28 to 29 cm),

12561-473: The backfield. Simpson played in San Francisco for two seasons, rushing for 1,053 yards and four touchdowns. Physical problems with his knees influenced him to retire from football. For his last home game at Candlestick Park , the 49ers held an "O.J. Simpson Day" at the stadium. His final NFL game was on December 16, 1979 , a 31–21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium . His final play

12720-435: The ball is caught, and the ball may not be advanced. Officials are responsible for enforcing game rules and monitoring the clock. All officials carry a whistle and wear black-and-white striped shirts and black hats except for the referee, whose hat is white. Each carries a weighted yellow flag that is thrown to the ground to signal that a foul has been called. An official who spots multiple fouls will throw their hat as

12879-478: The ball off, throws it, or runs with it. The primary role of the halfback, also known as the running back or tailback, is to carry the ball on running plays. Halfbacks may also serve as receivers. Fullbacks tend to be larger than halfbacks and function primarily as blockers, but they are sometimes used as runners in short-yardage or goal-line situations. They are seldom used as receivers. The offensive line (OL) consists of several players whose primary function

13038-467: The ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp ,

13197-721: The child on their feet. In many cases, this is quite sufficient in itself to effect a cure, but matters can be hastened somewhat by applying splints . When the deformity arises in older patients, either from trauma or occupation, the only permanent treatment is surgery , but orthopaedic bracing can provide relief. Rickets usually causes bone deformities in all four extremities. Genu varum may resolve spontaneously with modification of lifestyle activities or after receiving medical treatment. Some deformities do not correct spontaneously and need surgical intervention especially if they are severe and causing gait difficulties. The main surgical modality used to treat genu varum arising from rickets

13356-654: The clean-cut athlete, to get believability into whatever part I happen to be playing." He said in 1980 that "The Oscar or the Emmy says you've reached a level of competence in this business, and I would love to have one." While in the NFL, Simpson appeared in productions such as the television miniseries Roots (1977), and the dramatic motion pictures The Klansman (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Cassandra Crossing (1977), and Capricorn One (1978). In 1979, he started his own film production company, Orenthal Productions, which dealt mostly in made-for-TV fare such as

13515-458: The commercials advertised Hertz, avoiding the common "vampire video" problem of viewers remembering an ad, but not which brand it promotes. Simpson was so important to the company that CEO Frank Olson personally negotiated his contract, and Hertz used him for an unusually long time for a celebrity endorser. Although Simpson appeared less often in Hertz commercials by the late 1980s, his relationship with

13674-1246: The company continued; Simpson was to travel to Chicago to meet with Hertz executives and clients on the night of the Brown-Goldman murder. Simpson used his amiable persona, good looks, and charisma in many endorsement deals. Advertising Age in 1977 named Simpson the magazine's Star Presenter of the Year; by 1984, consumer research found that he was the most popular athlete endorser. A 1990s MCI Communications commercial starring Eunice Simpson satirized her son's work. Other products Simpson endorsed included Pioneer Chicken , Honey Baked Ham , TreeSweet orange juice, Calistoga Water Company 's line of Napa Naturals soft drinks, and Dingo cowboy boots . As president and CEO of O. J. Simpson Enterprises, he owned hotels and restaurants. When Simpson and Brown divorced in 1992, he had $ 10 million in assets and more than $ 1 million in annual income, including $ 550,000 from Hertz. On June 24, 1967, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley. Together, they had three children: Arnelle L. Simpson (b. 1968), Jason Lamar Simpson (b. 1970), and Aaren Lashone Simpson (1977–1979). In August 1979, Aaren drowned in

13833-399: The condition being very likely to supervene after accidents involving the condyles of the femur . Children until the age of 3 to 4 have a degree of genu varum. The child sits with the soles of the feet facing one another; the tibia and femur are curved outwards; and, if the limbs are extended, although the ankles are in contact, there is a distinct space between the knee-joints. During

13992-475: The courtyard outside Brown's condo , in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Police determined the murders had taken place on the night of the 12th. Goldman had been there to return to Brown a pair of glasses that her mother had lost earlier that day. The knife used was never found. Simpson was an immediate person of interest in their murders, and there was never any other suspect found. He maintained that on

14151-413: The crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In practice, almost all field goal attempts are done via place kick. While drop kicks were common in the early days of the sport, the shape of modern footballs makes it difficult to reliably drop kick the ball. The last successful scoring play by drop kick in the NFL was accomplished in 2006; prior to that, the last successful drop kick had been made in 1941. After

14310-399: The defense is to prevent the offense from scoring by tackling the ball carrier or by forcing turnovers . Turnovers include interceptions (a defender catching a forward pass intended for the offense) and forced fumbles (taking possession of the ball from the ball-carrier). The defensive line (DL) consists of defensive ends (DE) and defensive tackles (DT). Defensive ends line up on

14469-430: The defensive backfield. They are divided into two types: middle linebackers (MLB) and outside linebackers (OLB). Linebackers tend to serve as the defensive leaders and call the defensive plays, given their vantage point of the offensive backfield. Their roles include defending the run, pressuring the quarterback, and tackling backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in the passing game. The defensive backfield , often called

14628-472: The ends and sides of the field are known as the end lines and sidelines . Goal lines are marked 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line. Weighted pylons are placed the sidelines on the inside corner of the intersections with the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone. Inbound lines, or hash marks , are short parallel lines that mark off 1-yard (0.91 m) increments. Yard lines , which can run

14787-404: The ends of the line, while defensive tackles line up inside, between the defensive ends. The primary responsibilities of defensive ends and defensive tackles are to stop running plays on the outside and inside, respectively, to pressure the quarterback on passing plays, and to occupy the line so that the linebackers can break through. Linebackers line up behind the defensive line but in front of

14946-531: The expense of running the ball. In 1971 , Rauch resigned as head coach, and the Bills brought in Harvey Johnson . Despite Johnson devising a new offense for Simpson, Simpson was still ineffective that year. After the 1971 season, the Bills fired Johnson and brought in Lou Saban as head coach. Unlike Rauch, Saban made Simpson the centerpiece of the Bills offense. In 1972 , Simpson rushed for over 1,000 yards for

15105-510: The extremities and the spine. Bow legs or genu varum is one of these deformities. The characteristic bone X-ray survey findings are important to confirm the diagnosis. On projectional radiography , the degree of varus or valgus deformity can be quantified by the hip-knee-ankle angle , which is an angle between the femoral mechanical axis and the center of the ankle joint . It is normally between 1.0° and 1.5° of varus in adults. Normal ranges are different in children. Generally, no treatment

15264-810: The family's swimming pool. Simpson met Nicole Brown in 1977 while she was working as a waitress at a Beverly Hills nightclub called The Daisy. Although still married to his first wife, Simpson began dating Brown. Simpson and Marguerite divorced in March 1979. During the 1984 Summer Olympics torch relay , Simpson carried the torch on Santa Monica 's California Incline road, running behind Brown. Brown and Simpson were married on February 2, 1985, five years after his retirement from professional football. The couple had two children, Sydney Brooke Simpson (b. 1985) and Justin Ryan Simpson (b. 1988). The marriage lasted seven years. According to Sheila Weller, "[Simpson and Brown] were

15423-477: The family-oriented Goldie and the Boxer films with Melissa Michaelsen (1979 and 1981). Simpson said that he did not seriously consider an acting career until seeing Marvin and Burton, while filming The Klansman in California, ordering chili from Chasen's via a private jet. Simpson appeared in the audience of NBC's Saturday Night Live during its second season and hosted an episode during its third season . He

15582-556: The features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football . American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football , with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022 , nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play

15741-504: The fibula and straightening out the bone; there is also a choice of elongating the legs. If not treated early enough, the condition worsens quickly. Guided growth surgery in children is widely used to achieve gradual correction of knee deformities arising from Osteochondrodysplasia including genu varum. Yet, this treatment is associated with a high incidence of recurrence and repeated surgeries may be needed to maintain proper bone alignment. In most cases persisting after childhood, there

15900-468: The field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this "platoon" system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams units. The number of players allowed on an active roster varies by league; the NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in

16059-454: The field was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) long, two 10-yard-long (9.1 m) end zones were created, and teams were given four downs instead of three to advance the ball 10 yards (9.1 m). The roughing the passer penalty was implemented in 1914, and eligible players were first allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 (equivalent to $ 16,956 in 2023) to play

16218-504: The first Black athlete to be "put on." In 1975, People magazine described Simpson as "the first [Black] athlete to become a bona fide lovable media superstar." Simpson avoided starring in blaxploitation films, choosing third or fourth lead roles while studying experienced stars like Lee Marvin and Richard Burton . His Hertz commercials from 1975 benefited Simpson's acting career, but he sometimes intentionally chose non-positive roles; "I've got to tear down that picture of O.J. Simpson,

16377-602: The first time in his career, gaining a league-leading total of 1,251 yards. In 1973 , Simpson became the first player to break the highly coveted 2,000-yard rushing mark , with 2,003 total rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Simpson broke the mark during the last game of the season against the New York Jets with a seven-yard rush. That same game also saw Simpson break Jim Brown 's single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards. For his performance, Simpson won that year's NFL MVP Award and Bert Bell Award . While other players have broken

16536-422: The first year of life, a gradual change takes place. The knee-joints approach one another; the femur slopes downward and inward towards the knee joints; the tibia become straight, and the sole of the foot faces almost directly downwards. While these changes are occurring, the bones, which at first consist principally of cartilage , are gradually becoming ossified . By the time a normal child begins to walk,

16695-599: The formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The legal forward pass was introduced in 1906, although its effect was initially minimal due to the restrictions placed on its use. The idea of a 40-yard-wider field was opposed by Harvard due to the size of the new Harvard Stadium . Other rule changes introduced that year included

16854-437: The front of the SUV is circled with his autograph, and he pitches it to a prospective buyer by saying that if they "ever get into some trouble and have to get away, it has escapability." In another sketch, Simpson pretends to be having an affair with another man's girlfriend. Later, he transforms into an old white man whose dying wish is to call a game of bingo . Juiced aired as a one-time special on pay-per-view television and

17013-419: The game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official . A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 25 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 40 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul

17172-409: The game had a strict sense of amateurism at the time, and direct payment to players was frowned upon, if not prohibited outright. Over time, professional play became increasingly common, and with it came rising salaries and unpredictable player movement, as well as the illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that

17331-428: The glove during the trial. A Los Angeles County Jail doctor said this was not the case, and that Simpson had been taking his medications every day, on time. Cochran claimed during the defense's closing argument, "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit." The phrase became famous in popular culture. Prosecutors also raised concerns that because the glove had been soaked in blood, and was repeatedly frozen and thawed before

17490-443: The ground or a tee; a holder may be used in either case. On a safety kick, the kicking team kicks the ball from their own 20-yard line. They can punt, drop kick or place kick the ball, but a tee may not be used in professional play. Any member of the receiving team may catch or advance the ball. The ball may be recovered by the kicking team once it has gone at least ten yards and has touched the ground or has been touched by any member of

17649-434: The guards. The principal receivers are the wide receivers (WR) and the tight ends (TE). Wide receivers line up on or near the line of scrimmage, split outside the line. The main goal of the wide receiver is to catch passes thrown by the quarterback, but they may also function as decoys or as blockers during running plays. Tight ends line up outside the tackles and function both as receivers and as blockers. The role of

17808-621: The interest of many college recruiters. After a childhood friend's injury in the Vietnam War influenced Simpson to stay out of the military, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco in 1965. He played football both ways as a running back and defensive back and was named to the Junior College All-American team as a running back. City College won the Prune Bowl against Long Beach City College , and many colleges sought Simpson as

17967-411: The league in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns twice, and in points scored in 1975. Simpson became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, earning him NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), and is the only NFL player to do so in a 14-game regular season . He holds the record for the single-season yards-per-game average at 143.1. He acquired the nickname "Juice" as

18126-431: The lower limbs are prepared, both by their general direction and by the rigidity of the bones which form them, to support the weight of the body. Nutritional rickets is an important cause of childhood genu varum or bow legs in some parts of the world. Nutritional rickets is due to unhealthy life style habits as insufficient exposure to sun light which is the main source of vitamin D. Insufficient dietary intake of calcium

18285-469: The magazine New York wrote that Simpson was already wealthy enough to "retire this week if [he] wanted to." Beginning in 1975, he appeared in advertisements with the Hertz rental car company. Commercials depicted Simpson running through airports (embodying speed), as others shouted to him the Hertz slogan "Go, O.J., Go!". He was the first Black man to be hired for a major corporate national advertising campaign,

18444-503: The most popular sport in the United States by the mid-1960s. The rival AFL arose in 1960 and challenged the NFL's dominance. The AFL began in relative obscurity but eventually thrived, with an initial television contract with the ABC television network. The AFL's existence forced the conservative NFL to expand to Dallas and Minnesota in an attempt to destroy the new league. Meanwhile, the AFL introduced many new features to professional football in

18603-464: The murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. Simpson played college football for the USC Trojans , where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected first overall by the Bills in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft . During his nine seasons with the Bills, he received five consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections from 1972 to 1976. He also led

18762-463: The network would probably never air the pilot if Simpson were convicted. Most pilots that are two hours long are aired as TV movies whether or not they are ordered as series. Because—as the Los Angeles Times later reported—"the appetite for all things O.J. appeared insatiable" during the trial, Warner Bros. and NBC estimated that a gigantic, Super Bowl –like television audience would have watched

18921-406: The nickname "Juice" as a play on "O.J.", a common abbreviation for orange juice. "Juice" is also a colloquial synonym for electricity or electrical power, and hence a metaphor for any powerful entity; the Bills' offensive line at Simpson's peak was nicknamed " The Electric Company ". Simpson played in only one playoff game during his 11-season Hall of Fame career: a 1974 Divisional Round game between

19080-429: The offense advances ten or more yards in the four downs, they are awarded a new set of four downs. If they fail to advance ten yards, possession of the football is turned over to the defense. In most situations, if the offense reaches their fourth down they will punt the ball to the other team, which forces them to begin their drive from farther down the field; if they are in field goal range , they might attempt to score

19239-410: The offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance the ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking

19398-429: The offensive line. Players can line up temporarily in a position whose eligibility is different from what their number permits as long as they report the change immediately to the referee, who then informs the defensive team of the change. Neither team's players, except the center (C), are allowed to line up in or cross the neutral zone until the ball is snapped. Interior offensive linemen are not allowed to move until

19557-624: The passage of the Violence Against Women Act . The act, passed in September 1994, created the National Domestic Violence Hotline . The pursuit, arrest, and trial of Simpson were among the most widely publicized events in American history. Simpson's integrated defense counsel team, named the "Dream Team", included Kardashian, Johnnie Cochran , Robert Shapiro , F. Lee Bailey , and Alan Dershowitz . The prosecution for

19716-445: The plane of the two end lines. The crossbar of these posts is 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, with vertical uprights at the end of the crossbar 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart for professional and collegiate play, and 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 m) apart for high school play. The uprights extend vertically 35 feet (11 m) on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards (9.1 m) on college fields, and

19875-520: The play were published in many national magazines. Another dramatic touchdown in the same game is the subject of the Arnold Friberg oil painting, O.J. Simpson Breaks for Daylight . Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two-time unanimous All-American . USC would go on to win the national title for that year. Even though Simpson led the nation in college football rushing yards,

20034-448: The point(s)-after-touchdown (PAT) or conversion, which is a single scoring opportunity. This is generally attempted from the two- or three-yard line, depending on the level of play. If the PAT is scored by a place kick or drop kick through the goal posts, it is worth one point, typically called the extra point. If the PAT is scored by what would normally be a touchdown, it is worth two points; this

20193-475: The police obtained a videotaped copy of the pilot as well as the script and dailies . Although the prosecution investigated reports that Simpson received "a fair amount of" military training—including use of a knife—for Frogmen , and there is a scene in which he holds a knife to the throat of a woman, this material was not introduced as evidence during the trial. NBC executive Warren Littlefield said in July 1994 that

20352-454: The previous two Super Bowls. Simpson continued his Monday Night Football announcing duties in 1985 before being dropped after the season. In 1989, he rejoined NBC to replace Ahmad Rashad as an analyst on their NFL Live! pregame show. After he was accused of his ex-wife's murder, Simpson was replaced by Rashad in 1994. Chuck Barnes helped Simpson form business relationships with Chevrolet and ABC early in his football career. By 1971,

20511-422: The punter. In football, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a football game. The touchdown (TD), worth six points, is the most valuable scoring play in American football. A touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then attempts a try, more commonly known as

20670-401: The receiving team. The three types of scrimmage kicks are place kicks, drop kicks, and punts. Only place kicks and drop kicks can score points. The place kick is the standard method used to score points, because the pointy shape of the football makes it difficult to reliably drop kick. Once the ball has been kicked from a scrimmage kick, it can be advanced by the kicking team only if it

20829-439: The reduction of playing time from 70 to 60 minutes and an increase of the distance required for a first down from 5 to 10 yards (4.6 to 9.1 m). To reduce infighting and dirty play between teams, the neutral zone was created along the width of the football before the snap. Scoring was also adjusted: points awarded for field goals were reduced to three in 1909 and points for touchdowns were raised to six in 1912. Also in 1912,

20988-617: The regular season, earning the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award , and Walter Camp Award. He held the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory for 51 years, defeating runner-up Leroy Keyes by 1,750 points . In the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, #2 USC faced top-ranked Ohio State ; Simpson ran for 171 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run, in a 27–16 loss. Simpson's number 32 jersey

21147-482: The responding California Highway Patrol officers to pursue with extreme caution. The police closed the nearby highways. As Cowlings rode, Simpson's lawyer Robert Kardashian publicly released a letter from him, saying: "Don't feel sorry for me ... I've had a great life, great friends. Please think of the real O.J. and not this lost person." He was arrested shortly before 9 p.m. The chase was shown on "nearly every live television station." Stations interrupted coverage of

21306-534: The rulebook for the 1876 college football season , when the sport first shifted from soccer-style rules to rugby-style rules. Although it could easily have been called "rugby" at this point, Harvard, one of the primary proponents of the rugby-style game, compromised and did not request the name of the sport be changed to "rugby". The terms " gridiron " or "American football" are favored in English-speaking countries where other types of football are popular, such as

21465-467: The rushing leader among active players, a position he maintained until his retirement more than five seasons later. Simpson also made his first and only playoff appearance during the 1974 season. In a divisional game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , Simpson rushed for 49 yards on 15 attempts and caught a touchdown pass, but the Bills lost the game 32–14. Simpson won the rushing title again in 1975 , rushing for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns . He also had

21624-452: The second one, the Harvard players preferred the Canadian style of having only 11 men on the field, running the ball without having to be chased by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and using an oblong instead of a round ball. An 1875 Harvard–Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two Princeton athletes who were impressed by it. They introduced the sport to Princeton,

21783-503: The secondary, consists of cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). Safeties are themselves divided into free safeties (FS) and strong safeties (SS). Cornerbacks line up outside the defensive formation, typically opposite a receiver to be able to cover them. Safeties line up between the cornerbacks but farther back in the secondary. Safeties tend to be viewed as "the last line of defense" and are responsible for stopping deep passing plays as well as breakout running plays. The special teams unit

21942-411: The snap of the ball. The main backfield positions are the quarterback (QB), halfback/tailback (HB/TB), and fullback (FB). The quarterback is the leader of the offense. Either the quarterback or a coach calls the plays. Quarterbacks typically inform the rest of the offense of the play in the huddle before the team lines up. The quarterback lines up behind the center to take the snap and then hands

22101-477: The sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world . Its championship game, the Super Bowl , ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $ 18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in

22260-422: The subject of a low-speed pursuit (on the 405 Freeway ) by police while riding as a passenger in a white 1993 Ford Bronco SUV, a vehicle owned and being driven by his former teammate and longtime friend Al Cowlings . According to Cowlings, Simpson was armed in the back of the vehicle with a pistol, holding it to his head and threatening to shoot himself if he was not taken back to his Brentwood estate. This caused

22419-425: The teams, USC was down by six points in the fourth quarter with under 11 minutes remaining. On their own 36, USC backup quarterback Toby Page called an audible on third and seven. Simpson's 64-yard touchdown run tied the score, and the extra point provided a 21–20 lead, which was the final score. This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century , and pictures of

22578-491: The time was played at the collegiate level . The upstart NFL received a boost to its legitimacy in 1925, however, when an NFL team, the Pottsville Maroons , defeated a team of Notre Dame all-stars in an exhibition game . A greater emphasis on the passing game helped professional football to distinguish itself further from the college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following

22737-438: The trial became celebrities, such as the resident of Simpson's guesthouse at the time of the murders, Kato Kaelin . In 1995, while waiting to appear before a jury for his trial hearing, Simpson published the book I Want to Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions , which was intended to be a "self-portrait of [his] mind at this critical time", and included letters he had received while incarcerated. It

22896-493: The trial, that it would have shrunk. Cochran denied this claim. When Simpson tried the glove on in court, he struggled to put it on. Nevertheless, Aris Isotoner Inc. vice president Richard Rubin would later testify that the gloves were of his company's rare Aris Light model and that a new pair of extra large gloves would fit Simpson. People magazine wrote that the moment was crucial to his acquittal. American football American football , referred to simply as football in

23055-411: The width of the field, are marked every 5 yards (4.6 m). A one-yard-wide line is placed at each end of the field; this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in yards are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of

23214-408: The winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third quarters. If a down is in progress when

23373-402: The world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball ; the sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. In the United States, American football is referred to as "football". The term "football" was officially established in

23532-540: Was a 10-yard run on 3rd and 10 for a first down. Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 2nd on the NFL's all-time rushing list when he retired; he now stands at 21st. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls . He was the only player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a 14-game season, and the only player to rush for over 200 yards in six different games in his career. From 1972 to 1976, Simpson averaged 1,540 rushing yards per (14 game) season, 5.1 yards per carry, and he won

23691-489: Was a battered woman during her marriage to Simpson. "If he did, he would have got a frying pan upside his head. There was just no way that I would allow that to happen to me." Marguerite expressed her belief in Simpson's innocence in the interview. Prosecutors provided DNA evidence, including both victims' blood being found in Simpson's car, Brown's blood being found on Simpson's socks, and hair and clothing fibers consistent with Simpson, Brown, and Goldman, as well as fibers from

23850-1182: Was after finding out about an alleged year-long affair Simpson had had with model Tawny Kitaen . Reports suggest that in 1993, Brown and Simpson made an attempt at reconciliation. In October, Brown called the police to report Simpson being violent again, after he allegedly found a photo of a man Brown had dated while they were broken up. Again, officers intervened. A family friend claimed that Simpson had told Brown's friends that if he ever "caught her with anyone, he would kill her." Brown's friend Kris Jenner claimed Brown at one point told her, "Things are really bad between O.J. and I, and he's going to kill me, and he's going to get away with it." The two broke up again, seemingly permanently, in May 1994. In total, prosecutors for Simpson's murder trial found 62 incidents of abusive behavior by Simpson towards Brown. News reporting regarding these incidents led to California enforcing its 1986 laws protecting domestic violence victims more. Hertz continued to air its commercials with Simpson. Shortly after midnight on June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman , were found stabbed to death in

24009-730: Was also a well-known drag queen in the Bay Area . Later in life, Jimmy Simpson announced that he was gay. He died of AIDS in 1986. Simpson's maternal grandparents were from Louisiana . His aunt gave him the name Orenthal, which she told him was the name of a French or Italian actor she liked. He was called "O.J." from birth and did not know that Orenthal was his given name until a teacher read it in third grade. Simpson had one brother, Melvin Leon "Truman" Simpson, one living sister, Shirley Simpson-Baker, and one deceased sister, Carmelita Simpson-Durio. Simpson grew up in San Francisco and lived with his family in

24168-640: Was considered by director James Cameron to play the eponymous character in The Terminator (1984) when Schwarzenegger was cast as the character Kyle Reese , but Cameron ultimately cast Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, while Simpson had no involvement in the film. The film's producers felt Simpson was "too nice" to be seen as a killer like the Terminator. Simpson starred in the un-televised two-hour-long film pilot for Frogmen , an A-Team -like adventure series that Warner Bros. Television completed in 1994,

24327-483: Was found by officers hiding in the bushes outside their home, "badly beaten and half-naked." Authorities said Simpson had "punched, slapped, and kicked" her. Simpson sped away from the cops in his car, but eventually, he pleaded no contest to spousal abuse. Simpson was given two years' probation , 120 hours of community service , and he had to donate $ 500 to a battered women's shelter . Brown filed for divorce on February 25, 1992, citing irreconcilable differences . This

24486-513: Was instituted. Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish the game unless major changes were made. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905. These proceedings resulted in

24645-806: Was later retired by USC. The first selection in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft was held by the AFL 's Buffalo Bills , after finishing 1–12–1 in 1968 . They took Simpson, but he demanded the largest contract in professional sports history: $ 650,000 over five years (equivalent to $ 4.1 million in 2023). This led to a standoff with Bills' owner, Ralph Wilson , as Simpson threatened to become an actor and skip professional football. Eventually, Wilson agreed to pay Simpson. Simpson entered professional football with high expectations, but struggled in his first three years, averaging only 622 yards per season. Bills coach John Rauch , not wanting to build an offense around one running back, assigned Simpson to do blocking and receiving duties at

24804-400: Was later released on DVD. Simpson worked as an NFL analyst on NBC from 1978 to 1982. He joined ABC 's Monday Night Football crew in 1983, becoming the first black announcer on the network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team. For Super Bowl XIX during the 1984 season, ABC moved Simpson to its pregame show, replacing him in the broadcast booth with active player Joe Theismann , who had played in

24963-519: Was originally established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, aimed to solve these problems. This new league's stated goals included an end to bidding wars over players, prevention of the use of college players, and abolition of the practice of paying players to leave another team. By 1922, the NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at

25122-452: Was produced with Lawrence Schiller . Before the trial began, it was discovered the police investigation had been flawed: "Photo evidence had been lost or mislabeled; DNA had been collected and stored improperly, raising a possibility that it was tainted." Marguerite Whitley declined to testify at the trial on behalf of Simpson. According to LAPD Officer Terry Schauer and his partner Richard Deandra, when she and Simpson were married, they got

25281-451: Was the second professional athlete to host the show. In 1987, Simpson also made a cameo in the comedy Back to the Beach . He played Det. Nordberg in all three entries of The Naked Gun film trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994) alongside Leslie Nielsen , Priscilla Presley , and George Kennedy . Nordberg would get injured in a continuous series of gags. According to Arnold Schwarzenegger , Simpson

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