Football and lacrosse legend Jim Brown died peacefully Thursday night at his home in Hollywood Hills, California. He was 87.
Sports enthusiasts consider Jim Brown as the greatest athlete of all-time. Some consider him the greatest football player. Some say the HOF running back was also the best lacrosse player ever. He excelled at both football and lacrosse at Syracuse University before going into the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. Brown was enshrined the in Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
In September of 2012, SportsJam host Doug Doyle spoke with Brown about his sports career, racism and music. Brown was also a huge jazz fan.
"Jazz is America. Foreign countries look upon our jazz history as who we are. I have tremendous respect for jazz."
This edition of SportsJam with Doug Doyle won a national PMJA award for Best Interview. You can hear the entire show below.
In his professional career, Jim Brown carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns, which were all records when he retired. He averaged 104.1 rushing yards per game, and is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career.
Jim Brown was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, comprising the best players in NFL history. His number 32 jersey is retired by the Browns. Shortly after his football career, Brown became an actor, and had several leading roles throughout the 1970s.
