Best NFL Players of All Time: OJ Simpson. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: OJ Simpson

It seems like a lifetime ago. Or two lives ago. Long before OJ Simpson became a significant figure in America’s race relations discussion and was charged with the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend, he was arguably the best football player in the world. After a Heisman Trophy-winning career at USC, a world-class smile, and a wealth of highlight-film runs, the Buffalo Bills made O. J. Simpson the first pick in the 1969 NFL draft.

Simpson, who later became a record-breaking NFL runner, faced challenges in his early years. For example, Buffalo head coach John Rauch was hesitant to allow Simpson to take over as the team’s main back in his offense. Simpson, who appeared to be an average back in the Buffalo scheme, experienced frustration during this time.

However, when Lou Saban took over as head coach of the NFL in 1972, fans of the sport noticed Simpson’s potential. Ralph Wilson, the owner of Buffalo, became dissatisfied with the coaches’ handling of Simpson’s situation. He instructed Saban to let Simpson run.

When Saban spoke with Simpson, he said that he intended to let the running back run as he did at the University of Southern California. Simpson became the happiest man in western New York following that talk, and his future rushing helped the Bills establish themselves as a viable NFL force. Simpson’s debut season took place in 1972.

After glancing over his shoulder for the first three years of his career, as if expecting to be taken out of the game, Simpson began to run freely and easily for the first time since he was a dominating college star. “The Juice” rushed for a league-high 1,251 yards in 1972, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He scored six rushing touchdowns, including a career-long 94-yarder.

Simpson enjoyed his role in the Saban offense and assured Buffalo fans that this was just the beginning of his career. Simpson believed he was about to do some historic exploits with the excellent offensive line developed by Saban with Hall of Famer Joe Delammielure and Reggie McKenzie, a unit dubbed “The Electric Company” because “it turned on the Juice.”

Simpson advanced from star to legend the following season. The NFL was still playing a 14-game schedule in 1973, but Simpson rushed 332 times for 2,003 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning league MVP honors. He averaged 6.0 yards per rush and was simply too fast and agile for defenders to shut him down. He was the first NFL player to carry for 2,000 yards in a single season, and he held the record until Eric Dickerson ran for 2,105 yards 11 years later.

Simpson was really proud of his accomplishment. “No matter what happens to me, I was the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in a season,” Simpson claimed. “They can never take that away from me.” Simpson was the only player to run for 2,000 yards in a 14-game season.

He needed two outstanding games at the end of the season to reach the milestone. In Week 13, Simpson ran 22 times for 219 yards against the New England Patriots in a 37-13 victory for Buffalo. The following week, he rushed 34 times for 200 yards in the snow at Shea Stadium against the New York Jets, leading to a 34-14 Buffalo victory.

Two years later, after another 14-game season, Simpson was almost as good. He rushed 329 times for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He also scored seven more touchdowns as a receiver, breaking the NFL record most touchdowns in a season. He gained 1,503 yards in 1976, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring eight touchdowns.

From 1972 to 1976, Simpson averaged 1,540 yards a season and led the league in rushing four times. He also averaged nine touchdowns every season at that time. It was a phenomenal four-year run, nearly as good as LaDainian Tomlinson’s three decades later. Injuries would eventually take their toll on the six-time Pro Bowler, and he had little left in the tank when he retired with the San Francisco 49ers in 1978 and 1979.

Simpson went on to make movies and work as an analyst for NFL broadcasts after retiring from football. The adjective used to define his personality was “able.”

That all changed in June 1994, with the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. Despite being acquitted of the murders, Simpson’s accomplishments in the field were overshadowed by his alleged involvement in the crime.

Best NFL Players of All Time: OJ Simpson Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD
1969	22	BUF	RB	32	13	13	181	697	2	32	3.9	53.6	13.9	30	343	11.4	3
1970	23	BUF	RB	32	8	8	120	488	5	56	4.1	61	15	10	139	13.9	0
1971	24	BUF	RB	32	14	14	183	742	5	46	4.1	53	13.1	21	162	7.7	0
1972	25	BUF	RB	32	14	14	292	1251	6	94	4.3	89.4	20.9	27	198	7.3	0
1973	26	BUF	RB	32	14	14	332	2003	12	80	6	143.1	23.7	6	70	11.7	0
1974	27	BUF	RB	32	14	14	270	1125	3	41	4.2	80.4	19.3	15	189	12.6	1
1975	28	BUF	RB	32	14	14	329	1817	16	88	5.5	129.8	23.5	28	426	15.2	7
1976	29	BUF	RB	32	14	13	290	1503	8	75	5.2	107.4	20.7	22	259	11.8	1
1977	30	BUF	RB	32	7	7	126	557	0	39	4.4	79.6	18	16	138	8.6	0

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb
1974	27	BUF	RB	1	1	15	49	0	11	3.3	49	15	3	37	12.3	1	25	3	37	18	4.8	86	1	0
Career				1	1	15	49	0	11	3.3	49	15	3	37	12.3	1	25	3	37	18	4.8	86	1

 

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