orig. James Nathaniel Brown
born Feb. 17, 1936, St. Simons, Ga., U.S.
U.S. football player, often considered the greatest running back of all time.
He was an All-American in football and lacrosse at Syracuse University. In his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1957–65), he set NFL overall rushing and combined yardage records that stood until 1984. Averaging a record 5.22 yards per carry in his career, Brown led the NFL in rushing in eight of the nine years he played. After retiring from football, he became a movie actor.