Jim Brown

He was drafted in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Starting at fullback, Brown was immediately effective in his role with the team. After only the fifth game of the season, he had already set a team record for touchdowns in a single season. The team would eventually win the Eastern Division championship and Brown was unanimously voted Rookie of the Year. The following year he again won the rushing title, with 1,527 yards and tied his single-season touchdown record with eighteen.

Between the years of 1958 and 1965, Brown was voted onto every All-Pro team and was a superstar in the league and overwhelmingly so in Cleveland. His popularity proved so powerful that he led a player revolt against the coaching staff and in particular against his role in Paul Brown's offense. The revolt would result in the firing of coach Brown. Under new coach, Blanton Collier, Brown again set records in 1963 gaining 1,863 yards. At the end of that year Brown was invited to Lyndon Johnson's White House.

After blazing a definitive trail on the field, Brown began setting precedent outside the NFL. He became interested in Hollywood and in product endorsement. A new phenomenon, his Pepsi Cola contract had him traveling in the off-season as an executive and spokesperson. His role in Rio Conchos, a film about the U.S. Cavalry in the 1800s, led to more movie roles and farther away from his still flourishing career with the Browns.