Director Ezra Edelman’s Oscar-winning docuseries “O.J.: Made in America” is a highlight of ESPN’S “30 for 30” franchise that will re-air starting Tuesday, March 24. TheWrap looked back at key moments on O.J. Simpson’s timeline.
Orenthal James Simpson, from San Francisco, California, was a football prodigy, rushing for 1,880 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns during his senior year at USC in 1968, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy
Simpson was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft in 1969. In 1973, he became the first player in league history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season
Even before retiring from the NFL in 1979, “The Juice” dabbled. He appeared on TV mini-series “Roots” and in several movies, including the hilarious “Naked Gun” trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994).
Still at the height of his fame, Simpson was arrested in 1994 in connection with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, following a highly-publicized police chase in a white Ford Bronco.
On Oct. 3, 1995, Simpson was acquitted of both murders in a decision that shocked some, delighted others and captivated all.
The Brown family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Simpson. He was found guilty by a civil jury in 1997 and sentenced to pay the family $33.5 million in damages.
Simpson was arrested in Florida in 2001 following a road rage incident in which he pulled another driver’s sunglasses off in a fit of rage. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges — again.
In 2007, Simpson and a group of men stormed into a Las Vegas hotel room after O.J. learned a man in the room was trying to sell memorabilia from Simpson’s sports career. He was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery, for which he was sentenced to 33 years.
Simpson’s lawyer fought for a retrial in the Las Vegas case, and in 2012, a judge reopened the case but upheld Simpson’s conviction.
In 2013, the Nevada Parole Board granted Simpson parole on his armed robbery conviction. He will remain incarcerated until at least 2017, however, on other charges.
