Happy 80th Birthday Jim Brown

February 17, 2016 is the 80th birthday of one of the NFL’s all time greats, former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. Brown played from 1957 through the 1965 seasons, and his numbers still are awe inspiring.

Brown played nine seasons in the NFL, and led the league in rushing eight of those years. In 1958 he rushed for 1527 yards in what was then a 12 game season, averaging 127.3 yards per game. In 1963, he rushed for 1863 yards in 1 14 game season, averaging 133 yards per game. In total, Brown rushed for 12312 yards in 118 games, an average of 104.3 yards per game, still an NFL record, and the only player to average over 100 rushing yards per game. Brown also led the NFL in rushing touchdowns five times, was a member of the 1964 NFL Champion Browns team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Brown was still at the top of his game when he retired after the 1965 season at age 29. He went on to have a successful acting career, and still is active in football as an advisor on the Cleveland Browns staff.  Brown, who played college football at Syracuse,  was also an excellent collegiate LaCrosse player and is in that sports National Hall of Fame.