OJ Simpson

Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson burst onto the national scene in 1967 when he enrolled at the University of Southern California, a college football powerhouse. Simpson won a Heisman Trophy and National Championship at USC, becoming one of the greatest college players of all-time.

Also in 1967, Simpson married his high school sweetheart, Marguerite Whitley. The couple had three children, daughters Arnelle and Aaren, and son Jason. Aaren died in 1977 at age 2 after drowning in the family’s swimming pool.

When his college career ended, Simpson enjoyed a prolific career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and MVP of the league in 1973. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Simpson met his second wife, Nicole Brown, in 1977. The two married in 1985 and shared two children, Sydney and Justin. According to Brown, Simpson was abusive during their marriage and they divorced in 1992.

On June 13, 1994, Brown and her friend, Ronald Goldman, were found dead outside of Brown’s condo. When Simpson declined to turn himself in for the murders, he fled from police in a white Ford Bronco and the chase quickly earned national coverage with news stations interrupting their regular programming to show it.

Simpson was then arrested and his criminal trial became a national TV spectacle. Prosecutors pointed to DNA evidence found at the scene and in Simpson’s car, as well as a black glove that was left behind at Brown’s home as evidence of his guilt.

After 11 months and in front of an estimated 150 million viewers, a jury found him not guilty of the murders, setting off a firestorm of reactions that divided viewers by racial lines. He was later found liable for Brown and Goldman’s deaths in a civil trial and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

In 2008, Simpson was found guilty in connection to a Las Vegas hotel robbery and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He was released on parole in 2017.

Simpson died of prostate cancer on April 10, 2024 in Las Vegas.