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O.J. Simpson

The Early Years



Born Orenthal James Simpson on July 9, 1947, in Putrero Hill, a low-income neighborhood outside of San Francisco, California, Simpson's childhood pointed to everything but a career in athletics. His father left the family while Simpson was still a toddler and his mother worked at a psychiatric ward to support her four children. Simpson developed rickets soon after birth and the disease left him pigeon-toed and bowlegged. Unable to afford surgery to correct the affliction, Simpson endured the wrath of his childhood friends who took to calling him "Pencil Pins" because of his legs. His early interest in sports was encouraged by his mother, however, and combined with his unfettered determination he would eventually achieve the excellence and acceptance he desired in his youth.



During Simpson's adolescence his experiments on the wrong side of the law would lead to a life changing meeting with San Francisco Giant hero Willie Mays. Simpson, along with friend Al "A.C." Cowlings, joined a local gang known as the Persian Warriors. After getting caught stealing, a neighborhood youth leader asked Mays to spend an afternoon with the teenage Simpson. He would recall it later in life as the first time he realized that he could achieve his dreams.

Chronology

1947 Born July 9 in San Francisco, California
1967 Enrolls at the University of Southern California
1967 Marries Marguerite Whitley
1967 Named Outstanding Player in the Rose Bowl
1968 Wins the Heisman Trophy
1968 Signs television contract with ABC
1969 Joins the Buffalo Bills
1969 Named Man of the Year by Sport magazine
1973 Breaks single season rushing record
1974 Appears in The Towering Inferno
1975 Begins Hertz Rent-A-Car campaign
1977 Meets Nicole Brown
1978 Divorces Maguerite Whitely
1978 Traded to San Francisco 49ers
1979 Daughter Aaren drowns in backyard swimming pool
1979 Retires from football
1985 Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
1985 Marries Nicole Brown
1989 Arrested for spousal battery
1992 Files for divorce from Brown
1994 Nicole Brown found murdered
1994 Arrested for murder
1995 Acquitted in criminal trial

Simpson would quickly gain his first taste of the adulation that he would enjoy throughout so much of his life. Simpson and Cowlings were named to the all-city team in high school and were their team's star players. Simpson, however, didn't have the grades to go on to a reputable school and instead played at City College of San Francisco. At City College, Simpson quickly garnered notice averaging 9.3 yards per carry and scoring fifty-four touchdowns. Of the fifty colleges that tried to recruit him after his sophomore year, Simpson chose the University of Southern California. He married his high school sweetheart, Maguerite Whitley, and continued his climb to stardom.

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsFootballO.J. Simpson Biography - The Early Years, Chronology, Usc And Beyond, The Record Books, Acting And Endorsements