All-time NFL great running back, social activist Jim Brown dead at 87

CLEVELAND -- Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his brilliant career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s, has died. He was 87.

Brown led the Cleveland Browns to their last NFL title in 1964 before retiring in his prime after the '65 season to become an actor. He appeared in more than 30 films, including"Any Given Sunday" and"The Dirty Dozen." "Jim Brown is a true icon of not just the Cleveland Browns but the entire NFL," said Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam."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.

In June 1999, Brown's wife called 911, saying Brown had smashed her car with a shovel and threatened to kill her. During the trial, Monique Brown recanted. Jim Brown was acquitted of a charge of domestic threats but convicted of misdemeanor vandalism. The Los Angeles judge sentenced Brown to six months in jail when he refused to attend domestic violence counseling.

In recent years, Brown's relationship with the Browns was inconsistent. He served as an adviser to owner Randy Lerner and was hired to counsel the team's younger players. However, in 2010, Brown parted ways with the team after having his role reduced by incoming team president Mike Holmgren. Brown felt slighted by the perceived demotion -- when the club unveiled a"Ring of Honor" inside its downtown stadium, Brown didn't attend the ceremony in protest.

Running behind an offensive line featuring Hall of Fame tackles Lou Groza and Mike McCormack, Brown set a league mark with 1,527 yards and scored 17 TDs on his way to the league's Most Outstanding Player award -- a precursor to the MVP -- in 1958. Over the next three seasons, he never ran for less than 1,257 yards before picking up just 996 in 1962.

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