# Jim Brown has barreled his way into the afterlife **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** celebrity-death, football-nfl\ **Created:** [May 19, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294 "2023-05-19T19:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/1 "2023-05-19T19:37:02Z")
> **[Jim Brown, Hall of Fame running back and actor, dies at 87](https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/05/19/jim-brown-nfl-dead/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6Ijg0MzMxNTYiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjg0NDY4ODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjg1NzY0Nzk5LCJpYXQiOjE2ODQ0Njg4MDAsImp0aSI6ImFjN2UxYWYxLTY2YWItNDY4Mi1iZjhjLWZjNzUwNGFmNzExZSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vYml0dWFyaWVzLzIwMjMvMDUvMTkvamltLWJyb3duLW5mbC1kZWFkLyJ9.hKNl9znLHH-_427efWN8sdPE7vSYJaqo9hxmkLVy1_I&itid=gfta)** > > He dominated the NFL in the 1950s and ‘60s, then left football for acting and activism. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/2 "2023-05-19T19:44:52Z")
I’m not nearly old enough to have ever seen him play, but I know he’s widely regarded as at least a top-5 greatest NFL player ever, if not top-3. He was basically unstoppable is the gist of what I’ve seen and heard about the man and I believe all of it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/3 "2023-05-19T19:45:50Z")
Damn, he was great and a fun actor. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/4 "2023-05-19T19:51:37Z")
He was a real life superman! ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/5 "2023-05-19T20:00:14Z")
He was the Gretzky, the Jordan, the Babe Ruth of his sport. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/6 "2023-05-19T21:34:45Z")
> **[Jim Brown Did Great Things; He Also Beat Women](https://deadspin.com/jim-brown-did-great-things-he-also-beat-woman-1784269329)** > > For decades, Jim Brown has served sportswriters as a kind of shorthand for the type of activist an athlete should be. Just yesterday, Brown was upheld as an inspiration in William C. Rhoden’s farewell column in the The New York Times; name-dropped... ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/7 "2023-05-19T21:37:33Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m not nearly old enough to have ever seen him play, but I know he’s widely regarded as at least a top-5 greatest NFL player ever, if not top-3. He was basically unstoppable is the gist of what I’ve seen and heard about the man and I believe all of it Nor am I, but my father lived in Cleveland in the '60s, and saw Brown (and Lou Groza). Dad said that he was incredible to watch. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/8 "2023-05-19T21:58:16Z")
Here in the Detroit area there used to be a morning radio show called Drew and Mike, and on several occasions they called Barry Sander’s dad, who was a cantankerous, odd duck who showed little or no pride in his son. They’d goad him by asking “who’s the best running back, in your opinion?” and Sanders Sr. would say “ ain’t nobody better than Jim Brown! He averaged (X) yards per carry in his career; Barry only averages (less than X) yards per carry.” ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/9 "2023-05-20T03:54:05Z")
He starred in Tick Tick Tick as a newly elected black sheriff in a southern town, filmed in Colusa CA. I don’t think anyone outside of Colusa County saw the film, but it was a big deal. And Colusa was very redneck, but who did like having a running back great come make a movie in your town even if he was black? The school bus scene was filled with 2nd graders from my next door class. One of the shocked kids was my best friend back then Robbie. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/10 "2023-05-20T11:45:08Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Here in the Detroit area there used to be a morning radio show called Drew and Mike, and on several occasions they called Barry Sander’s dad, who was a cantankerous, odd duck who showed little or no pride in his son. They’d goad him by asking “who’s the best running back, in your opinion?” and Sanders Sr. would say “ ain’t nobody better than Jim Brown! He averaged (X) yards per carry in his career; Barry only averages (less than X) yards per carry.” Oh man, you just brought back a memory for me. I remember hearing those bits (RIP Mike). mmm ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/11 "2023-05-20T15:19:01Z")
I’m too young to have watched him play, but he was a beast of a runner. Very hard to stop. Here’s a stat that will be hard to break: to date he is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career. And that stat is nearly 60 years old. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/12 "2023-05-20T15:23:48Z")
How do we measure greatest Running Back? If you ask me, Jim Brown is the name that come up immediately though I didn’t see him play. Of those I saw, I lean towards Barry Sanders or maybe Sweetness. Accumulation stats I think point to Emmitt Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/13 "2023-05-20T19:13:12Z")
Roku channel “The B-Zone” is showing his movies today. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-brown-has-barreled-his-way-into-the-afterlife/984294/14 "2023-05-21T05:56:06Z")
An interesting bit of trivia which I just learned: when the band Earth, Wind & Fire were starting out in the early 1970s, Brown was their manager for a time.