If you only know the name from the slow-motion Bronco chase or the "trial of the century," you’re missing the actual reason OJ Simpson the football player was the most famous man in America long before 1994. Honestly, it’s hard to describe to someone who didn't see it. Imagine a guy who was built like a modern linebacker but ran with the fluid grace of an Olympic sprinter. That was "The Juice."
He didn't just play football; he broke it.
People forget that when OJ landed in Buffalo in 1969, he was kind of a bust. For three years, the first overall pick from USC was stuck in a system that didn't know what to do with him. Then Lou Saban took over the Bills in '72 and basically said, "Give the ball to OJ until his legs fall off."
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It worked.
The 2,000-Yard Wall and the 14-Game Miracle
Let’s talk about 1973. This is the year that defines OJ Simpson the football player in the history books. Before OJ, nobody had ever rushed for 2,000 yards in a season. Not Jim Brown. Not Gale Sayers. Nobody.
The crazy part? He did it in 14 games.
Most modern players who hit that milestone—like Eric Dickerson or Adrian Peterson—had 16 games to get there. OJ hit 2,003 yards while averaging 143.1 yards per game. To this day, that is still the highest yards-per-game average in the history of the NFL. He wasn't just dinking and dunking for three yards at a time. He was exploding.
"He was like a ghost. You’d think you had an angle on him, and then he was just... gone." — Roughly every defensive back in the 70s.
On a snowy December day at Shea Stadium against the Jets, he needed 197 yards to break the record. He got 200. It was the kind of performance that made him a god in Western New York. He wasn't just a running back; he was the entire Buffalo offense.
Turning on the Juice with the Electric Company
You can't talk about OJ without mentioning the guys who moved the dirt for him. The Bills offensive line in the mid-70s was legendary. They even had a nickname: The Electric Company.
Why? Because they "turned on the Juice."
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- Joe DeLamielleure: A Hall of Fame guard who was basically a brick wall with legs.
- Reggie McKenzie: OJ’s best friend on the team and a pulling guard who cleared paths like a snowplow.
- Dave Foley: The tackle who anchored the left side.
These guys loved OJ because he didn't just take the credit. He took them out to dinner. He bought them watches. He made sure the world knew that without the Electric Company, the Juice didn't flow. It was a symbiotic relationship that led to OJ winning four rushing titles in five years (1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976).
Was 1975 Actually His Best Year?
Most people point to '73 as the peak. But if you look at the advanced stats or just talk to old-school scouts, 1975 might have been even scarier.
He didn't hit 2,000 yards rushing that year—he "only" got 1,817. But he also caught 28 passes for 426 yards. He scored 23 touchdowns. Total scrimmage yards? 2,243. That’s essentially 160 yards of offense every single Sunday for three and a half months. In 14 games.
He was the MVP, the Offensive Player of the Year, and basically a one-man wrecking crew. Honestly, his 1975 season is one of the most underrated stretches of elite play in any sport, ever. He was 28 years old, at the absolute physical summit of his powers, and he was untouchable.
The USC Legend and the Heisman Gap
Before the Bills, there was the Coliseum. Simpson’s time at USC was brief—he was a junior college transfer—but he packed a decade of highlights into two seasons. In 1968, he won the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin in history at the time (1,750 points).
He led the Trojans to a national title in 1967. He ran for 171 yards in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. He was a track star, too, part of a world-record-setting 440-yard relay team. This is why the NFL was so obsessed with him. He was the first true "superstar" athlete of the television era who had the crossover appeal of a movie star.
Technical Breakdown: Why He Was Different
If you watch the old film, OJ's running style was "slashing." He didn't run over people like Earl Campbell. He didn't dance in the backfield like Barry Sanders.
He had this incredible "high-cut" build with long legs that allowed him to change direction without losing speed. Most backs have to slow down to cut. OJ just leaned. He’d be at a full sprint, tilt his shoulders five degrees, and the linebacker would be tackling air.
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He also had a 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed in an era when most defenders were lucky to run a 4.7. Once he got past the line of scrimmage, it was over. You weren't catching him.
The Fall and the Football Legacy
By 1978, the wheels were coming off. A trade to the San Francisco 49ers was supposed to be a homecoming, but his knees were shot. He played two seasons in the Bay Area, but he was a shell of himself. He retired in 1979 as the second-leading rusher in NFL history, trailing only the great Jim Brown.
It is almost impossible to separate OJ Simpson the football player from the man he became later. The cultural weight of his legal battles has largely erased the memory of his athletic dominance for anyone born after 1980. But if you look strictly at the grass and the chalk, he was a revolutionary.
He paved the way for the "workhorse" back. He showed that a running back could be the face of a franchise and a global brand.
Actionable Insights for Football History Buffs
- Watch the 1973 Highlights: Look for the game against the New England Patriots where he went for 250 yards. It's a masterclass in vision.
- Compare the Eras: When looking at his 2,003-yard record, always remember the 14-game context. To match his per-game average today, a player would need to rush for 2,290 yards in a 16-game season.
- Study the "Electric Company": If you're a fan of offensive line play, watch how Reggie McKenzie pulls on lead blocks. It’s the blueprint for the modern zone-run game.
The tragedy of the OJ story is that the talent was so immense, yet it's now a footnote to a much darker narrative. But for a decade in Buffalo, he was the fastest thing on two legs, and for 14 games in 1973, he was perfect.