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RIP Jim Brown

ladypanther

By ladypanther,
in Carolina Panthers

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ladypanther Grand Master

ladypanther

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Brown ran with a rare blend of power and speed in nine NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns, eight of which he finished as the NFL’s leading rusher. He was listed at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds and had a 32-inch waist during his playing days. He was bigger and faster than most of those charged with trying to tackle him, and he tended to run to — and through — collisions, rather than away from them.

In his 1989 autobiography, “Jim Brown: Out of Bounds,” Brown wrote, “The key in the NFL is to hit a man so hard, so often, he doesn’t want to play anymore.”

Brown generally dominated even though he was the focal point the defensive game plan in every game of his career. A three-time NFL MVP, Brown is the only running back in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for his career. He finished his career with 12,312 rushing yards, an NFL record until Walter Payton broke it in 1984. He’s still the only player to have led the NFL in all-purpose yards five times.

“Jim Brown is a true icon of not just the Cleveland Browns but the entire NFL. He was certainly the greatest to ever put on a Browns uniform and arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history. Jim was one of the reasons the Browns have such a tremendous fan base today. So many people grew up watching him just dominate every time he stepped onto the football field but his countless accolades on the field only tell a small part of his story,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement.

“His commitment to making a positive impact for all of humanity off the field is what he should also be known for. In the time we’ve spent with Jim, especially when we first became a part of the Browns, we learned so much from him about the unifying force sports can be and how to use sport as a vehicle for change while making a positive impact in the community,” The Haslams said. “Jim broke down barriers just as he broke tackles. He fought for civil rights, brought athletes from all different sports together to use their platform for good. Many thought Jim retired from football too soon, but he always did it his way. ”

He walked away from football after the 1965 season, retiring at age 29 

Brown averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game in his career, still the most in NFL history by nearly 5 yards. Brown still has six of the seven most productive rushing seasons in Browns history. The Browns played 12 games a year in Brown’s first four years and 14 games in his last five. Despite that, no other Cleveland running back topped 1,300 yards in a season until Jamal Lewis did it in 2007.

Brown had a pair of 17-touchdown seasons rushing, in 1958 and again in 1965. During that 1958 season, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Glenn Holtzman told Sports Illustrated that tackling Brown was like tackling a locomotive. “Fast as the fastest, hard as the hardest,” Holtzman said. “He gets off to the quickest start of any big man I’ve ever seen.”

https://theathletic.com/4535558/2023/05/19/jim-brown-dead/

Heard earlier he averaged over 5 yds per carry.

Edited by ladypanther
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Sgt Schultz Grand Master

Sgt Schultz

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3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

There aren't too many athletes that could span multiple generations. I believe he is one that likely could have.

I believe so, too.  I've been watching the NFL since 1969, and he could have been a force in every one of those years. 

RIP Jim Brown. 

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Stuart Smith Mentor

Stuart Smith

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It was a different era when Jim Brown played. Leroy Kelly, Lou Groza, Paul Warfield, Quarterback Frank Ryan. I am old enough to remember a few of the Browns games. Jim Brown is always the first name that comes to my mind when I hear conversations about great running backs. He was special. 

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