Syracuse, football world mourns passing of Jim Brown

The luminary of sports and American culture starred in football at lacrosse at SU, moved on to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, delved into film acting, and offered even greater impact through unwavering social activism.

Brown is survived by Monique and their children, Aris and Morgan, his daughter, Kim, and his sons, Kevin and James Jr.

“To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star,” Monique Brown stated in her post. “To our family he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.”

Brown is the only athlete to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a first-ballot inductee to the Pro Football HOF in 1971.

He was a four-sport letterwinner at SU, adding basketball and track and field to his football and lacrosse exploits.

Brown was a two-time All-American in lacrosse — recognized as the greatest to ever play by the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame — and a unanimous football All-American as a senior in 1956, when he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Brown started the legacy of the No. 44 for SU football and was the last surviving member of the iconic trio most associated with the heralded jersey retired by the school in 2005. He was joined by Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, all of whom are immortalized with statues outside the SU football practice facility.

“Jim Brown is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to ever wear Orange,” SU chancellor Kent Syverud expressed in a statement, also referring to Brown as one of Syracuse’s proudest ambassadors for his commitment to military and social justice.

Brown’s career average of 5.97 yards per carry at SU ranks second in team history among rushers with at least 200 attempts. He still holds the records for most rushing touchdowns (6) and total points (43) in a single game for the Orange, which have remained since 1956.

During a nine-year NFL career, Brown won Rookie of the Year, two Most Valuable Player awards, led the Browns to the 1964 NFL championship and was selected to the Pro Bowl every season.

He held the records for single-season rushing yards, career rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total TDs and all-purpose yards when he retired in 1966. Brown remains the only NFL player to average more than 100 rushing yards per game (104.3) and ranks second in yards-per-carry (5.2) among players with at least 1,000 rushes.

“Jim Brown was the greatest player to ever play the game,” SU football coach Dino Babers stated. “I remember my dad making me watch his highlights as a kid so I could appreciate his greatness. He was the best of the best and will be forever remembered as a Syracuse legend and the best of all time.”

Brown shocked many when, at the peak of his prime at age 30, he announced his retirement from football while filming the movie “The Dirty Dozen.” Brown went on to collect more than 50 film and TV credits while delving into broadcasting.

His primary focus, however, became impacting the civil rights movement.

Brown organized “The Cleveland Summit,” in June 1967, a gathering of top Black athletes such as Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — then named Lew Alcindor — to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s stance against serving in Vietnam.

In 1988 Brown founded the Amer-I-Can Program to help at-risk and high-risk youth in underserved schools and juvenile detention facilities. He contributed countless hours toward working with incarcerated adults and reentry programs while also aiming to uplift youth in poor communities.

“Jim Brown is one of the greatest all-around athletes of all time,” SU athletic director John Wildhack stated. “At Syracuse he was the first of the famed 44’s and excelled at lacrosse, basketball and track & field. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he was a civil rights pioneer and created the Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change, which is designed to empower individuals to take charge of their lives and achieve their full potential.”

Brown was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Army ROTC in 1957 upon graduating from SU and continued military training as an Army Reserve officer, serving four additional years before he was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve with the rank of captain.

Brown was not immune to controversy, particularly away from the playing field. He was arrested for assault seven times, usually in domestic cases involving women.

Brown served as an executive advisor to the Cleveland Browns since 2008 and was on hand for the NFL Honors awards show in February, where it was unveiled the league’s rushing title would be named in his honor moving forward. He remained a leading voice on social issues into his final days.

Brown was born in St. Simons, Ga., and attended Manhasset High School on Long Island where he lettered in five sports — football, lacrosse, basketball, track and field, and baseball.