Oj Simpson Accomplishments

Superior Essays
If you were a football fan between the late 60’s and early 9’s the name “O.J Simpson” probably rings a bell. A man of much talent and fame, soon in the spotlight for a different reason, homicide. The winner of the Heisman Trophy, College and NFL Hall of famer (Pellowski 14) whose life turned upside down in one night. There were social, economic, and cultural influences on Orenthal James Simpson which affected his lifetime achievements.
Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, California to a poor family. O.J. was a friendly young boy infatuated with the sport of football. (Pellowski 13-14) He went to the University of Southern California as a half-back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 as a USC Trojan. (Biography.com) He played for the Buffalo Bills in 1969 and finished his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He also is in the College and NFL Hall of fame. (Pellowski 14) He retired from football in 1979 and became a sportscaster and actor, later an author to a book about his homicide accusations “If I Did it” (Biography.com) O.J. married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, in 1967. They had three children, two survived to adulthood. O.J. then was divorced from Marguerite Whitley in 1979. (Rice Jr. 15) O.J. was married a second time to Nicole Brown in 1985. They had two children together, Sydney and Justin. (Pellowski 16) O.J. and Nicole had an alleged abusive relationship. In 1989 at a New Years Eve party, O.J. was said to have threatened to kill Nicole. Nicole filed for a divorce in 1992. (Biography.com) June 12, 1994 Nicole Brown and friend, Ronald Goldman were found dead at Nicole's home, all signs leading to O.J. Simpson as a suspect (Rice Jr. 25-26) After a long car chase Simpson was accused and pursued.(Pellowski 29) O.J. was found not guilty due to a ¨Dream Team” of lawyers, yet he was found guilty and liable for both deaths in wrongful-death civil trial in 1996. (Biography.com) His influence to keep away from gangs and focus on football was his first wife, Marguerite Whitley and his children he had with her (Rice Jr. 10) What caused O.J.’s downward spiral? Some think it was his childhood. At age two he contracted rickets and had to wear shoes attached to an iron bar until age 5. His parents separated in 1952 and he joined a gang called the Persian warriors at age 13. (Biography.com) Many believe he was influenced by his relationship going under. O.J.
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was born into a poor family which influenced him to make something of himself and be able to make money, unlike his family. He joined a gang partly due to his lack of money. (Biography.com) Some believe the murder and sense of entitlement was influenced by money. O.J.’s net worth was approximately $11 million before the murders and $3 million after (Biography.com) Simpson assembled a legal "dream team" of lawyers for his famous trial that reportedly cost him an estimated $50,000 a day. His yearly pension from the NFL is $300,000. O.J.’s wrongful death case ended in O.J. being fined $58 million dollars. (Biography.com) Now, many people are offering O.J. money to appear on talk shows etc. One deal included $50 million. He has ignored the deals and is enjoying his life as a senior citizen. (Biography.com) O.J. Simpson’s trial was very centered on

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