O . J . Simpson Orenthal James " O . J . " Simpson ( born July 9 , 1947 ) , nicknamed " The Juice " , is a retired American football player , broadcaster , actor and convicted felon . Simpson was the first professional football player to rush for more than 2 , 000 yards in a season , a mark he set in 1973 . While six other players have passed the 2 , 000 rush yard mark , he stands alone as the only player to rush for more than 2 , 000 yards in a 14 - game season ( professional football changed to a 16 - game season in 1978 ) . He holds the record for the single season yards - per - game average , which stands at 143 . 1 ypg . Simpson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 . After retiring from professional football , Simpson had a successful career as a football broadcaster and actor . In 1995 , he was acquitted of the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicized criminal trial , the " People v . Simpson " . In 1997 , a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson for their wrongful death s ; to date he has paid little of the $ 33 . 5 million judgment . In September 2007 , Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas , Nevada , and charged with numerous felonies , including armed robbery and kidnapping . In 2008 , he was found guilty 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 . Early life . Simpson was born in San Francisco , the son of Eunice ( née Durden ; October 23 , 1921 – San Francisco , California , November 9 , 2001 ) , a hospital administrator , and Jimmy Lee Simpson ( Arkansas , January 29 , 1920 – San Francisco , California , June 9 , 1986 ) , a chef and bank custodian . Simpson ' s maternal grandparents were from Louisiana . His aunt gave him the name Orenthal , which supposedly was the name of a French actor she liked . Simpson has one brother , Melvin Leon " Truman " Simpson , one living sister , Shirley Simpson - Baker , and one deceased sister , Carmelita Simpson - Durio . As a child , Simpson developed rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five . His parents separated in 1952 and he was raised by his mother . Growing up in San Francisco , Simpson lived in the housing projects of the Potrero Hill neighborhood . In his early teenage years , he joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center . At Galileo High School ( currently Galileo Academy of Science and Technology ) in San Francisco , Simpson played for the school football team , the Galileo Lions . From 1965 to 1966 , Simpson was a student at City College of San Francisco , a member of the California Community College system . He played both offense ( running back ) and defense ( defensive back ) and was named to the Junior College All - American team as a running back . College football career . Simpson was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California , where he played running back in 1967 and 1968 . Simpson led the nation in rushing in 1967 when he ran for 1 , 451 yards and scored 11 touchdowns . He also led the nation in rushing the next year with 355 carries for 1 , 709 yards . In 1967 , he starred in the 1967 USC vs . UCLA football game and was a Heisman Trophy candidate as a junior , but he did not win the award . His 64 - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter tied the game , with the extra point after touchdown providing the win . This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century . Another dramatic touchdown in the same game is the subject of the Arnold Friberg oil painting , " O . J . Simpson Breaks for Daylight . " Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two - time consensus All - American . He ran in the USC sprint relay quartet that broke the world record in the 4x110 yard relay at the NCAA track championships in Provo , Utah in June 1967 . ( While this time has not been beaten , the IAAF now refers to it as a " world ' s best " , not a world record . The scarcity of events over distances measured in imperial units resulted in the designation change in 1976 . ) In 1968 , he rushed for 1 , 709 yards and 22 touchdowns , earning the Heisman Trophy , the Maxwell Award , and the Walter Camp Award that year . He still holds the record for the Heisman ' s largest margin of victory , defeating the runner - up by 1 , 750 points . In the 1969 Rose Bowl , where No . 2 USC faced No . 1 Ohio State , Simpson ran for 171 yards , including an 80 - yard touchdown run in a 16 – 27 loss . Professional football career . Buffalo Bills . Simpson was drafted by the AFL ' s Buffalo Bills , who got first pick in the 1969 AFL - NFL Common Draft after finishing 1 – 12 – 1 in 1968 . Early in his professional football career , Simpson struggled on poor Buffalo teams , averaging only 622 yards per season for his first three . He first rushed for more than 1 , 000 yards in 1972 , gaining a total of 1 , 251 . In 1973 , Simpson rushed for a record 2 , 003 yards , becoming the first player ever to pass the 2 , 000 - yard mark , and scored 12 touchdowns . Simpson gained more than 1 , 000 rushing yards for each of his next three seasons . From 1972 to 1976 , Simpson averaged 1 , 540 rushing yards per ( 14 game ) season , 5 . 1 yards per carry , and he won the NFL rushing title four times . Simpson had the best game of his career during the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions on November 25 , 1976 , when he rushed for a then record 273 yards on 29 attempts and scoring two touchdowns . Simpson ' s 1977 season in Buffalo was cut short by injury . San Francisco 49ers . Before the 1978 season , the Bills traded Simpson to the San Francisco 49ers for a series of draft picks . He played two seasons . Summary . Simpson gained 11 , 236 rushing yards , placing him 2nd on the NFL ' s all - time rushing list when he retired ; he now stands at 18th . He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1973 , and played in six Pro Bowl s . He was the only player in NFL history to rush for over 2 , 000 yards in a 14 game season and he ' s the only player to rush for over 200 yards in six different games in his career . Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 , his first year of eligibility . Simpson acquired the nickname " Juice " as a play on " O . J . " , an informal abbreviation for " Orange Juice " . " Juice " is also a colloquial synonym for electricity or electrical power , and hence a metaphor for any powerful entity ; the Bills ' offensive line at Simpson ' s peak was nicknamed " The Electric Company . " Acting career . Even before his retirement from football and in the NFL , Simpson embarked on a successful film career with parts in films such as the television mini - series " Roots " ( 1977 ) , and the dramatic motion pictures " The Klansman " ( 1974 ) , " The Towering Inferno " ( 1974 ) , " The Cassandra Crossing " ( 1976 ) , " Capricorn One " ( 1978 ) , and the comedic " Back to the Beach " ( 1987 ) and " The Naked Gun " trilogy ( 1988 , 1991 , 1994 ) . In 1979 , he started his own film production company , Orenthal Productions , which dealt mostly in made - for - TV fare such as the family - oriented " Goldie and the Boxer " films with Melissa Michaelsen ( 1979 and 1981 ) and " Cocaine and Blue Eyes " ( 1983 ) , the pilot for a proposed detective series on NBC . NBC was considering whether to air " Frogmen " , another series starring Simpson , when his arrest canceled the project . Besides his acting career , Simpson worked as a commentator for " Monday Night Football " and " The NFL on NBC " . He also appeared in the audience of " Saturday Night Live " during its second season and hosted an episode during its third season . Endorsements . Simpson ' s amiable persona and natural charisma landed him numerous endorsement deals . He was a spokesman for the Hertz rental car company , in whose commercials he was depicted running through airports , as if to suggest he were back on the football field . Simpson was also a longtime spokesman for Pioneer Chicken and owned two franchises , one of which was destroyed during the 1992 Los Angeles riots ; as well as HoneyBaked Ham , the pX Corporation , and Calistoga Water Company ' s line of Napa Naturals soft drinks . He also appeared in comic book ads for Dingo cowboy boots . Family life . On June 24 , 1967 , Simpson married Marguerite L . Whitley . Together they had three children : Arnelle L . Simpson ( born December 4 , 1968 ) , Jason L . Simpson ( born April 21 , 1970 ) , and Aaren Lashone Simpson ( born September 24 , 1977 ) . In August 1979 , Aaren drowned in the family ' s swimming pool a month before her second birthday . Simpson and Whitley divorced that same year . On February 2 , 1985 , Simpson married Nicole Brown . They had two children , Sydney Brooke Simpson ( born October 17 , 1985 ) and Justin Ryan Simpson ( born August 6 , 1988 ) . In 1989 , Simpson plea ded no contest to a domestic violence charge and was separated from Nicole Brown , to whom he was paying child support . They divorced in 1992 . Legal history . Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman murders and trials . Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were murdered on June 12 , 1994 . Simpson was charged with their deaths and subsequently acquitted of all criminal charges in a controversial criminal trial . In the unanimous jury findings of a civil court case in February 1997 , Simpson was found liable for the wrongful death of Ronald Goldman and stabbing of Nicole Brown . Simpson stayed in Denice Shakarian Halicki and Robert Kardashian ' s house during the days following the June 12 , 1994 , murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman . Kardashian was the man seen carrying Simpson ' s garment bag the day that Simpson flew back from Chicago . Prosecutors speculated that the bag may have contained Simpson ' s bloody clothes or the murder weapon . Criminal trial for murder . On June 12 , 1994 , Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found dead outside Brown ' s condominium . Simpson was charged with their murders . On June 17 , after failing to turn himself in , he became the object of a low - speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV that interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA Finals . The pursuit , arrest , and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history . The trial , often characterized as " the trial of the century " , culminated on October 3 , 1995 in a jury verdict of not guilty for the two murders . The verdict was seen live on TV by more than half of the U . S . population , making it one of the most watched events in American TV history . Immediate reaction to the verdict was notable for its division along racial lines : polls showed that most African - Americans felt that justice had been served by the " not guilty " verdict , while most white Americans did not . O . J . Simpson ' s defense counsel included Johnnie Cochran , Robert Kardashian , and F . Lee Bailey . Wrongful death civil trial . On February 5 , 1997 , a civil jury in Santa Monica , California unanimously found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Goldman , and battery against Brown . Daniel Petrocelli represented plaintiff Fred Goldman , Ronald Goldman ' s father . Simpson was ordered to pay $ 33 , 500 , 000 in damages . In February 1999 , an auction of Simpson ' s Heisman Trophy and other belongings netted almost $ 500 , 000 . The money went to the Goldman family . A 2000 " Rolling Stone " article reported that Simpson still made a significant income by signing autographs . He subsequently moved from California to Miami . In Florida , a person ' s residence cannot be seized to collect a debt under most circumstances . The Goldman family also tried to collect Simpson ' s NFL $ 28 , 000 yearly pension but failed to collect any money . On September 5 , 2006 , Goldman ' s father took Simpson back to court to obtain control over his " right to publicity " for purposes of satisfying the judgment in the civil court case . On January 4 , 2007 , a Federal judge issued a restraining order prohibiting Simpson from spending any advance he may have received on a canceled book deal and TV interview about the 1994 murders . The matter was dismissed before trial for lack of jurisdiction . On January 19 , 2007 , a California state judge issued an additional restraining order , ordering Simpson to restrict his spending to " ordinary and necessary living expenses " . On March 13 , 2007 , a judge prevented Simpson from receiving any further compensation from the defunct book deal and TV interview . He ordered the bundled book rights to be auctioned . In August 2007 , a Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the book to the Goldman family to partially satisfy an unpaid civil judgment . The book was renamed " " , with the word " If " reduced in size to make it appear that the title was " " I Did It : Confessions of the Killer " " . Additional material was added by members of the Goldman family , investigative journalist Dominick Dunne , and author Pablo Fenjves . The Goldman family was listed as the author . Alleged confession . Mike Gilbert , a memorabilia dealer and former agent and friend of Simpson , wrote a book titled " How I Helped O . J . Get Away with Murder : The Shocking Inside Story of Violence , Loyalty , Regret and Remorse " ( 2011 ) . He states that Simpson had smoked marijuana and taken a sleeping pill and was drinking beer when he allegedly confided , at his Brentwood home weeks after his trial , what happened the night of June 12 , 1994 . According to Gilbert , Simpson said , " If she hadn ' t opened that door with a knife in her hand . . . she ' d still be alive . " Gilbert claimed Simpson had confessed . However , Simpson ' s current lawyer , Yale Galanter , said none of Gilbert ' s claims are true and that Gilbert is " a delusional drug addict who needs money . He has fallen on very hard times . He is in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service . " Miscellaneous legal troubles . The State of California claims Simpson owes $ 1 . 44 million in past due taxes . A tax lien was filed in his case on September 1 , 1999 . In the late 1990s , Simpson attempted to register " O . J . Simpson " , " O . J . " , and " The Juice " as trademarks for " a broad range of goods , including figurines , trading cards , sportswear , medallions , coins , and prepaid telephone cards . " A " concerned citizen " , William B . Ritchie , sued to oppose the granting of federal registration on the grounds that doing so would be immoral and scandalous . Simpson gave up the effort in 2000 . In February 2001 , Simpson was arrested in Miami - Dade County , Florida for simple battery and burglary of an occupied conveyance for allegedly yanking the glasses off another motorist during a traffic dispute three months earlier . If convicted , Simpson faced up to sixteen years in prison . He was put on trial and quickly acquitted on both charges in October 2001 . Simpson ' s Miami home was searched by the FBI on December 4 , 2001 on suspicion of ecstasy possession and money laundering . The FBI had received a tip that O . J . Simpson was involved in a major drug trafficking ring after 10 other suspects were arrested in the case . Simpson ' s home was thoroughly searched for two hours , but no illegal drugs were discovered , and no arrest or formal charges were filed following the search . However , investigators uncovered equipment capable of stealing satellite television programming , which eventually led to Simpson ' s being sued in federal court . On July 4 , 2002 , Simpson was arrested in Miami - Dade County , Florida for speeding through a manatee protection zone and failing to comply with proper boating regulations . Yale Galanter , his criminal defense attorney , was able to get the misdemeanor boating regulation charge dropped and Simpson only had to pay a fine for the speeding infraction . In March 2004 , satellite television network DirecTV , Inc . accused Simpson in a Miami federal court of using illegal electronic devices to pirate its broadcast signals . The company later won a $ 25 , 000 judgment , and Simpson was ordered to pay an additional $ 33 , 678 in attorney ' s fees and costs . Las Vegas robbery . In September 2007 , a group of men led by Simpson entered a room at the Palace Station hotel - casino and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint , which resulted in Simpson ' s being questioned by police . Simpson admitted to taking the items , which he said had been stolen from him , but denied breaking into the hotel room ; he also denied that he or anyone else carried a gun . He was released after questioning . Two days later , however , Simpson was arrested and initially held without bail . Along with three other men , Simpson was charged with multiple felony counts , including criminal conspiracy , kidnapping , assault , robbery , and using a deadly weapon . Bail was set at $ 125 , 000 , with stipulations that Simpson have no contact with the co - defendants and that he surrender his passport . Simpson did not enter a plea . By the end of October 2007 , all three of Simpson ' s co - defendants had plea - bargain ed with the prosecution in the Clark County , Nevada court case . Walter Alexander and Charles H . Cashmore accepted plea agreements in exchange for reduced charges and their testimony against Simpson and three other co - defendants , including testimony that guns were used in the robbery . Co - defendant Michael McClinton told a Las Vegas judge that he , too would plead guilty to reduced charges and testify against Simpson that guns were used in the robbery . After the hearings , the judge ordered that Simpson be tried for the heist . Simpson ' s preliminary hearing , to decide whether he would be tried for the charges , occurred on November 8 , 2007 . He was held over for trial on all 12 counts . Simpson pleaded not guilty on November 29 . Court officers and attorneys announced on May 22 , 2008 , that long questionnaires with at least 115 queries would be given to a jury pool of 400 or more . Trial was reset from April to September 8 , 2008 . In January 2008 , Simpson was taken into custody in Florida and flown to Las Vegas , where he was incarcerated at the county jail for allegedly violating the terms of his bail by attempting to contact Clarence " C . J . " Stewart , a co - defendant in the trial . District Attorney David Roger of Clark County provided District Court Judge Jackie Glass with evidence that Simpson had violated his bail terms . A hearing took place on January 16 , 2008 . Glass raised Simpson ' s bail to US $ 250 , 000 and ordered that he remain in county jail until 15 percent was paid in cash . Simpson posted bond that evening and returned to Miami the next day . Simpson and his co - defendant were found guilty of all charges on October 3 , 2008 . On October 10 , 2008 , O . J . Simpson ' s counsels moved for new trial ( " trial de novo " ) on grounds of judicial errors ( two African - American jurors were dismissed ) and insufficient evidence . Galanter announced he would appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court if Judge Glass denied the motion . The attorney for Simpson ' s co - defendant , C . J . Stewart , petitioned for a new trial , alleging Stewart should have been tried separately , and cited perceived misconduct by the jury foreman , Paul Connelly . Simpson faced a possible life sentence with parole on the kidnapping charge , and mandatory prison time for armed robbery . On December 5 , 2008 , Simpson was sentenced to a total of thirty - three years in prison with the possibility of parole after about nine years , in 2017 . On September 4 , 2009 , the Nevada Supreme Court denied a request for bail during Simpson ' s appeal . In October 2010 , the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed his convictions . He is now serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center and his inmate ID number is # 1027820 . A Nevada judge agreed on October 19 , 2012 to " reopen the armed robbery and kidnapping case against O . J . Simpson to determine if the former football star was so badly represented by his lawyers that he should be freed from prison and get another trial . " A hearing was held beginning May 13 , 2013 to determine if Simpson is entitled to a new trial . On July 31 , 2013 , the Nevada Parole Board granted Simpson parole on some charges from armed robbery convictions , but he will continue to be held for at least four years on other charges . On November 27 , 2013 , Judge Linda Bell denied Simpson ' s bid for a new trial on the robbery conviction . In her ruling , Bell wrote that all of Simpson ' s contentions lacked merit . Legal experts do not expect the appeals court to overturn the ruling .