Jim Brown was a legendary American football fullback, civil rights activist, and actor. One of the finest NFL running backs, he played for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 through 1965.

Jim Brown’s Biography, Wiki and Quick Facts

Jim Brown won three AP NFL Most Valuable Player honors, made the Pro Bowl every year, and won an NFL title with the Browns in 1964. He topped the league in rushing yards in eight of nine seasons and retired with several notable records.

Brown, named the greatest professional football player by The Sporting News, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and honored as the greatest college football player during the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship. Jim Brown married Sue Brown and Monique.

Brown was unanimous All-America at Syracuse University before playing football. He played basketball, track, and lacrosse. Brown addressed racial issues and promoted civil rights beyond sports.

He attended the Cleveland Summit, supported Muhammad Ali, and created the Black Economic Union to boost minority-owned businesses. Brown, Hollywood’s first black action hero, also acted in the 1970s. He pioneered athletics, advocacy, and entertainment. At 87, he died of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, USA.

How much was the Jim Brown’s wealth? Net Worth and Earnings

In 2023, NFL athlete, civil rights activist, and actor Jim Brown had $55 million. He had a successful football career due to his excellent ability. Jim also starred in several movies and TV shows. Although he earned over $5 million annually. Jim’s famed football career was his main source of money, but he may have had other businesses. He lived lavishly.

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When was Jim Brown born? Age, Birthday, Nationality, Ethnicity and Family

James Nathaniel Brown was born at St. Simons Island, Georgia, on February 17, 1936. His parents were boxer Swinton Brown and homemaker Theresa Brown. He was American and mixed-race. In 2023, he turned 87. He won 13 letters in football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball, and track at Manhasset Secondary School in New York.

Lawyer and Syracuse University lacrosse star Kenneth Molloy helped Jim Brown overcome racial barriers to enroll. Brown, the sole African-American football player, was discriminated against. Brown’s first year was funded and funded by Molloy, who experienced racist slurs at Syracuse.

Brown set records in football, basketball, track, and lacrosse despite the obstacles. He was a lacrosse All-American. Brown served as a captain in the US Army Reserve and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

How was the career of Jim Brown?

• Jim Brown had a big NFL impact. Cleveland Browns selected him sixth overall in 1957 NFL draft.
• Brown broke a 14-year NFL record by rushing for 237 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in his first season.
• Brown broke Steve Van Buren’s 1949 single-season rushing record with 1,527 yards in 1958.
• That season, he led the league in touchdowns, cementing his MVP reputation.
• Brown made history in the NFL after nine years.
• He set single-season and career rushing yardage records with 1,863 in 1963 and 12,312 overall.
• He set records for rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549).
• Brown was the first athlete to score 100 rushing touchdowns in 93 games, demonstrating his unequaled talent.
• He is the only NFL rusher to average over 100 yards per game.
• Brown also caught 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns.
• Brown’s 1966 retirement at 30 surprised many given his on-field success.
• Art Modell fined him for missing training camp while filming “The Dirty Dozen” in England.
• After filming “The Dirty Dozen,” Jim Brown retired after Art Modell threatened to penalize him for missing training camp.
• Walter Payton broke Brown’s 12,312 career rushing record on October 7, 1984. Brown remains the Browns’ leading rusher.
• He was 11th in all-time rushing in 2018. The Cleveland Browns won the NFL title in 1964 and finished second in 1957 and 1965 during Brown’s tenure.
• Brown’s 27 carries for 114 yards and 3 receptions for 37 yards in the 1964 championship game were key.
• Jim Brown, known for his football skills, also influenced movies. Brown played many movies, extending black actors’ roles. His presence broke barriers despite his lackluster acting.

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• Before the season, Brown played a buffalo soldier in the 1964 Western action film “Rio Conchos.” The film was panned for its exaggerated plot and implausibility, but Brown was praised as an actor.
• Brown clashed with Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell while filming “The Dirty Dozen” in London in 1966. Modell threatened fines after Brown missed training camp due to production delays.
• Brown, who had earlier said the 1966 season would be his last, retired instead and focused on acting.
• MGM’s 1968 adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s “The Split” launched Jim Brown’s acting career. His role earned him $125,000.
  Brown starred in MGM’s “Riot” (1969), another box office triumph.
• Brown’s portrayal as the Marine captain in “Ice Station Zebra” (1968) made him the first black action star, according to biographer Mike Freeman.
• Brown then joined 20th Century Fox for “100 Rifles” (1969), billed above Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. He had a first-ever Hollywood interracial love scene with Welch. Brown became one of the highest-paid black performers with $200,000 and a cut of the film’s box office.
• In the 1980s, Brown mostly appeared on television. He guest-starred in “Knight Rider”‘s season-three premiere episode, “Knight of the Drones,” alongside fellow football player Joe Namath.
• Brown played a roller-skating pickpocket in “CHiPs” season three episodes one and two. He also played Fireball in “The Running Man” (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and appeared in “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988).
• “Mars Attacks!” (1996) and “Sucker Free City” (2004) featured Brown. “Any Given Sunday” (1999) saw him play defensive coach Montezuma Monroe.

Jim Brown Arrest and Assault Allegations

Jim Brown was repeatedly arrested for assaulting women. These offenses by renowned persons were rarely investigated at the time. Brown was never convicted of a significant crime because most of the women involved refused to seek charges after calling the police. Brown was acquitted of assaulting 18-year-old Brenda Ayres in 1965.

After model Eva Bohn-Chin was found under his apartment balcony in 1968, he was charged with assault with intent to murder, but the prosecution dropped the case after Bohn-Chin refused to cooperate. Brown was convicted of misdemeanor battery for striking his golfing buddy in 1975 and of vandalism for making terroristic threats to his wife in 1999. Brown has admitted to domestic abuse and assault, but he condemns it.

Jim Brown Honors

• NFL champion (1964)
• 3× NFL Most Valuable Player (1957, 1958, 1965)
• NFL Rookie of the Year (1957)
• 8× First-team All-Pro (1957–1961, 1963–1965)
• Second-team All-Pro (1962)
• 9× Pro Bowl (1957–1965)
• 8× NFL rushing yards leader (1957–1961, 1963–1965)
• 5× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (1957–1959, 1963, 1965)
• NFL scoring leader (1958)
• NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
• NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
• Bert Bell Award (1963)
• Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor
• Cleveland Browns No. 32 retired
• Unanimous All-American (1956)
• Third-team All-American (1955)
• Syracuse Orange No. 44 retired
• CFB150 Greatest college football player ever (2020)
• Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971
• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995
• Inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1983
• Holds the record for averaging 100 rushing yards per game for his career, the only NFL player to do so
• Holds the record for yards per carry by a running back (minimum 750 carries) until 2012 when Jamaal Charles broke the record
• Ranked fourth among ESPN’s 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century in 1999, behind Muhammed Ali, Babe Ruth, and Michael Jordan
• Selected as the greatest football player of all time by The Sporting News in 2002 and the New York Daily News in 2014
• Ranked second-greatest player in NFL history by NFL Network’s NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players in 2010, behind Jerry Rice
• Selected as one of the twelve running backs on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019
• Named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN in 2020 during the 150th-anniversary celebration of college football

Who was Jim Brown married to?

Brown married twice. He initially married Sue Brown (née Jones) in September 1959. Sue divorced him in 1968, citing “gross neglect.” They had three children, twins born in 1960 and a son born in 1962. Jim Brown was ordered to pay $2,500 per month in alimony and $100 per week in child support after the 1972 divorce.

Brown engaged Diane Stanley, an 18-year-old Clark College student he met in Acapulco, Mexico, in December 1973. They split in 1974. He married Monique in 1997. He started a new chapter with two children.

How did Jim Brown die?

Jim Brown, 87, died of natural causes in his Los Angeles home on May 18, 2023. He died alongside his wife. After his passing, sportspeople and others paid respect. Barry Sanders, former NFL running back, noted Brown’s impact on the NFL, while Emmitt Smith, the all-time rushing yards leader, called him a legend who used his position to make a difference.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Brown’s supremacy as an athlete and cultural figure who encouraged change. NBA star LeBron James called Brown a hero and advised Black athletes to study his accomplishments. Former President Barack Obama lauded Brown as a terrific football player, actor, and civil rights fighter who inspired other Black athletes.

How tall was Jim Brown?

Jim Brown was famous for his talent and looks. He was average-sized and strong, standing 1.88 meters (6 feet 2 inches) and weighing 105 kilograms (231 pounds). His lovely brown eyes made him magnetic. His bald head made him famous. Jim Brown’s size and looks made him appealing on and off the field.

Trivias About Jim Brown You Need To Know.

• His zodiac sign was Aquarius.
• During his stay at Syracuse University, he was an All-American in lacrosse.
• After retiring, he appeared in several films, including 1988’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and 1999’s Any Given Sunday. Throughout his career, he received over 53 acting credits.
• With his first wife, Sue Brown, he had twins Kevin and Kim, as well as another son. In 1997, he married his second wife, Monique Brown.
• He led the Cleveland Browns to the NFL title in 1964, the city’s final major sports championship until LeBron James led the Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016.
• He was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and led the NFL in running eight times.
• In 1995, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Frequently Asked Questions About Jim Brown.