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The sports world lost one of its most well-known and controversial figures this week, with former NFL great O.J. Simpson dying Wednesday at the age of 76, as his family announced. The longtime running back leaves behind a complicated legacy that includes a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and an infamous 1995 acquittal of double-murder charges.
Here’s a look back at some of the most headlining moments of Simpson’s on- and off-field career:
July 9, 1947
Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson is born in San Francisco.
Sept. 15, 1967
Simpson debuts at running back for the USC Trojans after two years at the City College of San Francisco. He goes on to lead the nation in rushing with 1,543 yards.
Nov. 26, 1968
Simpson wins the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation in rushing for a second straight year, this time with an NCAA-record 1,880 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Jan. 28, 1969
The Buffalo Bills select Simpson with the first overall pick of the 1969 NFL Draft.
Dec. 17, 1972
After three sub-800-yard seasons to start his NFL career, Simpson completes his first 1,000-yard rushing campaign at the professional level, leading the league with 1,251 yards.
Dec. 16, 1973
Nicknamed “The Juice” for his explosiveness at the center of the Bills’ offense, Simpson becomes the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, earning the NFL MVP award in the process.
Dec. 12, 1976
Simpson wraps his fifth straight 1,100-yard rushing season, which earns him a fifth straight All-Pro and Pro Bowl nod. This also marks the fourth time he’s led the NFL in rushing.
Aug. 26, 1979
Simpson’s youngest daughter, Aaren, 1, dies of respiratory failure after drowning in the family swimming pool. This comes just five months after Simpson’s divorce from Marguerite Whitley, whom he had married at 19, while attending community college.
Dec. 16, 1979
Simpson carries the ball just two times to close the 49ers’ season, finishing with a career-low 460 yards and proceeding to announce his retirement from football after 11 years.
Feb. 2, 1985
Simpson marries Nicole Brown, a former Beverly Hills waitress he’d reportedly begun seeing at the end of his first marriage. They go on to have two children together.
May 22, 1989
Simpson pleads no contest to charges of spousal battery, accused of slapping, kicking and threatening to kill his wife, Nicole Brown. Three years later, Brown files for divorce.
June 12, 1994
Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman are found stabbed to death in Los Angeles. Simpson is quickly named a person of interest in the killings.
June 17, 1994
Officially charged with both murders, Simpson flees police as a passenger in a white Ford Bronco — now famous for its televised low-speed cruise down Southern California freeways, driven by former teammate A.C. Cowlings.
Oct. 3, 1995
After a polarizing 11-month trial, Simpson is acquitted of both murders.
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