1970's Sports | Simpson, O. J. 1947-

RUNNING BACK, BUFFALO BILLS

The Best.

Weeb Ewbank, one of pro football's greatest head coaches, once said of Orenthal James Simpson, "The problem isn't to tackle O. J., it's to catch him." As the most dominant running back of the 1970s, O. J. Simpson combined the strength and durability of Jim Brown and the phenomenal cutting ability of Gale Sayers in forging a new style of running that would be emulated by the next generation of football players. His extraordinary peripheral vision allowed him to seek out and pick holes in the defensive line quickly, as well as to avoid tadders. He cut and stutter-stepped his way through defenses, then relied on bursts of speed to outrace pursuers. In this way Simpson turned losses into four-yard gains—and the four-yarder into the occasional forty-yard breakaway dash. Of his elusive style Simpson once said, "I run like a coward/'To many, however, "the Juice" was an American hero, a...