Oj Simpson Prodigy

O.J. Simpson: a childhood prodigy. A show-stopping football legend. A beloved

sports hero. And a cold-blooded murderer? On June 12th, 1994, Simpson's reason for

renown drastically changed to a life filled with accusations, court hearings, and media-

twisted stories. O. J. Simpson was known as one of America's top college and

professional football players in the late 1960s and 1970s, but after the 1990s he has been

remembered not for his running-back football record but rather for his role as the

defendant in one of the most media-celebrated murder trials of the twentieth century.

Accused of the 1994 murders of ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her close friend

Ron Goldman, Simpson was brought to trial in Los Angeles in a case

that attracted

enormous media attention because of his earlier sports celebrity status and because of his

race. From Simpson's arrest until he was aquitted from the case, "The Juice" divided

Americans along racial lines, blacks predominantly believing in his innocence and most

whites convinced that he is guilty.

Prior to these events, Orenthal James Simpson was one

of America's most beloved sports heroes.

Growing up in San Francisco, California, O.J. Simpson was born the son of Eunice, a

hospital administrator, and a Jimmy Lee, a chef and bank custodian: his childhood was

spent in the housing projects of rugged Potero Hill neighborhood, located in Fog City. In

his earliest teenage years, Simpson joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and

was briefly imprisoned at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. At his school,

Galileo High in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school football team, the Galileo

Lions.Cleaning himself up and weaning away from the gangs of the city, O.J. was

accepted into City College of San Francisco, attending from 1965 to 1966. He played

both offense (running back) and defense (defensive back) and was named to the Junior

College All-American team as a running back. Shortly after, Simpson was awarded an

athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California, playing running back in

1967 and 1968. Simpson led the nation in rushing in 1967 when he ran for 1,543

yards

and scored 13 touchdowns. He also led the nation in rushing the next year with 383

carries for 1,880 yards. His childhood of crime and poverty transformed into a life of

achievement, excellence, and a future ahead.

Simpson was drafted by the AFL's Buffalo

Bills, gettingfirst pick in the 1969 AFL-NFL Common Draft; in 1977, his season was cut

short by an injury. Before the 1978 season, the Bills traded Simpson to the San Francisco

49ers for a series of draft picks where he played two seasons. O.J. became known as the

fastest player to gain 1,000 and 2,000 rushing yards in season. Even before his retirement

from football and the NFL, Simpson created a successful film career with roles in films

such asthe television mini-series Roots, as well as the motion pictures The Klansman, The

Towering Inferno, The Cassandra Crossing, Capricorn One, Back to the Beach, and The

Naked Gun trilogy. In 1979, he started his own film production company named after

himself, Orenthal Productions. Besides his newfound acting career, Simpson

sat as a commentator for Monday Night Football and The NFL on NBC.

At the age of thirty-eight, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley on June

24, 1967. During their marriage, the couple had three children, including Aaren Lashone

Simpson, who was born in 1977 and drowned in the backyard pool in 1979. The

following year, Simpson and Marguerite divorced. While still married to his

Marguerite,

O.J. met a waitress, Nicole Brown, who wasthen just 17 years old. Simpson and Brown

married in 1985 and had two children together. Though living the lifestyle of the rich and

famous, Nicole often complained about her marriage to her close friends and family

members, telling them that O.J. was physically and verbally abusive, frequently beating

his wife. Though Simpson denied ever hitting his bride, Nicole Brown Simpson filed for

divorce in 1992.

On June 12, 1994, the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald

Goldman, were found stabbed to death outside of her condo located in Los Angeles'

Brentwood area. When evidence pointed fingers to suspect Simpson of the murder, he

fled, disguised, in his Bronco, filmed in a nationally televised slow-speed chase. Simpson

finally surrendered at his L.A. mansion. During the court trials, O.J. Simpson pleaded

"absolutely, positively, 100 percent not guilty" to the murder charges. His criminal trial,

often characterized as "the trial of the century," ended on October 3, 1995, with a jury

finding him not guilty of either murder.