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Born in San Francisco, California
July 9, 1947
Simpson was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Eunice, a hospital administrator, and James "Jimmy" Lee Simpson, a chef and bank custodian. Simpson's maternal grandparents were from Louisiana. His aunt gave him the name Orenthal, which supposedly was the name of a French actor she liked. His parents were separated in 1952. Simpson has one brother: Melvin Leon "Truman" Simpson, and two sisters: Shirley Simpson-Baker and Carmelita Simpson-Durio.
As a child, Simpson contracted rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five.
Early Football Career
January 1, 1965 - January 1, 1966
At Galileo High School in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school football team, the Galileo Lions. From 1965 to 1966, Simpson was a student at City College of San Francisco, a member of the California Community Colleges system. He played both offense (running back) and defense (defensive back), and was named to the Junior College All American team as a running back.
O.J. marries Marguerite L. Whitley
June 24, 1967 - April 17, 1979
Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley. Together they had three children: Arnelle L. Simpson (born December 4, 1968), Jason L. Simpson (born April 21, 1970) and Aaren Lashone Simpson (born September 24, 1977). In 1979, Aaren drowned in the family's swimming pool a month before her second birthday. That same year Simpson and Marguerite were divorced.
Plays football for UCLA under athletic scholarship
September 1, 1967 - April 17, 1968
Simpson earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California where he played running back for the University of Southern California in 1967 and 1968.
Simpson led the nation in rushing in 1967 when he ran for 1,451 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He also led the nation in rushing in 1968 with 355 carries for 1,709 yards.
In 1967 he was a Heisman Trophy candidate, though he did not win the award. That same year he starred in the 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game. His 64 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter tied the game, with the PAT the margin of victory. This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century.
Another dramatic touchdown in the same game is the subject of the Arnold Friberg oil painting, O.J. Simpson Breaks for Daylight.
In 1968, he rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns, earning the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award that year. He still holds the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory, defeating the runner-up by 1,750 points. Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two-time consensus All-American. He also ran in the USC sprint relay quartet that broke the world record at the NCAA track championships in Provo, Utah in June 1967.
Professional football career, 1969 - 1979
January 1, 1969 - April 17, 1979
Simpson was drafted by the AFL's Buffalo Bills, who got first pick in the 1969 draft after finishing 1-12-1 in 1968.
Early in his NFL career, Simpson struggled on poor Buffalo teams, averaging only 622 yards per season for his first three.
He first rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 1972, gaining a total of 1,251.
In 1973, Simpson rushed for a then-record 2,003 yards, becoming the first player ever to pass the 2,000-yard mark, and scored 12 touchdowns. Simpson gained more than 1,000 rushing yards for each of his next three seasons.
Simpson's 1977 season in Buffalo was cut short by injury. Before the 1978 season, the Bill traded Simpson to the San Francisco 49ers for a second round draft pick, where he played two unremarkable seasons. Simpson retired from professional football in 1979.
Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 16th on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1972, 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls.
Simpson begins acting career
January 1, 1969
O.J. Begins his acting career while still playing professional football, debuting on Medical Center (TV series) episode, "The Last 10 Yards" (1969).
"The Towering Inferno"
January 1, 1974
Simpson plays the role of "Harry Jernigan" in the 1974 release, "The Towering Inferno". The film starred Steve McQueen and Paul Newman and was directed by John Guillermin. The film was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson
The Cassandra Crossing
January 1, 1976
1976 British motion picture starring Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, Martin Sheen, Burt Lancaster, Lee Strasberg and O.J. Simpson.
O.J. marries Nicole Brown.
Feburary 2, 1985 - April 17, 1992
On February 2, 1985, Simpson married Nicole Brown. They had two children, Sydney Brooke Simpson (born October 17, 1985) and Justin Ryan Simpson (born August 6, 1988), and were divorced in 1992.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad
January 1, 1988
Simpson plays Detective Nordberg in the 1988 comedy film, the first in a series of movies also starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and George Kennedy. The film was followed by two sequels; The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)
Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman
June 12, 1994
On June 12, 1994 Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman were found dead outside Brown's condominium. Simpson was soon charged with their murders.
After failing to turn himself in, he became the object of a low-speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized in American history.
O.J. Not Guilty Verdict
October 3, 1995
The trial, often characterized as "the trial of the century", culminated on October 3, 1995 in a jury verdict of not guilty for the two murders. The verdict was seen live on TV by more than half of the U.S. population, making it one of the most watched events in American TV history. Immediate reaction to the verdict was notable for its division along racial lines: polls showed that most black Americans felt that justice had been served by the "not guilty" verdict, while most white Americans did not. O.J. Simpson's defense attorney was the late Johnnie Cochran.
The Civil Trial
Feburary 5, 1997
On February 5, 1997 a civil jury in Santa Monica, California unanimously found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of Ronald Goldman, battery against Ronald Goldman, and battery against Nicole Brown. The attorney for plaintiff Fred Goldman (father of Ronald Goldman) was Daniel Petrocelli. Simpson was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in damages. However, California law protects pensions from being used to satisfy judgments, so Simpson was able to continue much of his lifestyle based on his NFL pension. In February 1999 an auction of Simpson's Heisman Trophy and other belongings netted almost $500,000. The money went to the Goldman family. Simpson's payment for appearing in the video game All Pro Football 2K8 was also seized.
A 2000 Rolling Stone article reported that Simpson still made a significant income by signing autographs. He subsequently moved from California to Miami, Florida. In Florida, a person's residence cannot be seized to collect a debt under most circumstances. The Goldman family also tried to collect Simpson's NFL pension of $22,000 a month but failed to collect any money.
Simpson pleads "Not Guilty" in Las Vegas Robbery
November 29, 2007
On September 14, 2007, Simpson was questioned about his role involving the taking of missing memorabilia at Palace Station hotel-casino in Las Vegas. He admitted taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, and denied breaking into the hotel room. He also denied that he or anyone else carried a gun. However, investigators named him a suspect and questioned him.
On November 29, 2007, O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty in the case.
