Claim: O. J. Simpson used to be a running back.

Orenthal James `` O. J. '' Simpson -LRB- born July 9 , 1947 -RRB- , nicknamed The Juice , is a former American football running back , broadcaster , actor , and convicted armed robber and kidnapper .   Simpson attended the University of Southern California -LRB- USC -RRB- , where he played college football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968 . He played professionally in the National Football League -LRB- NFL -RRB- as a running back for 11 seasons , with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and with the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979 . In 1973 , he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season ; holding the record for the single season yards-per-game average , which stands at 143.1 . He is the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format .   Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 . After retiring from football , he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting .   In 1995 , Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicised trial . The families of the victims filed a civil suit against him , and in 1997 a civil court awarded a $ 33.5 million judgment against Simpson for the victims ' wrongful deaths .   In 2007 , Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas , Nevada , and charged with felonies including armed robbery and kidnapping . In 2008 , he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years imprisonment , with a minimum of nine years without parole . He is serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock , Nevada .