Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE @ProFootballHOF 11/09/2016
Contact: Pete Fierle, Chief of Staff & Vice President of Communications [email protected]; 330-588-3622
“A FOOTBALL LIFE: JIM BROWN” TO BE SHOWN AT HALL OF FAME THIS WEEKEND HALL OF FAME GUESTS TO ENJOY SPECIAL SCREENINGS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OF THE ONE-HOUR NFL DOCUMENTARY
CANTON, OHIO – NFL Network’s “A Football Life: Jim Brown” will be shown Friday (Nov. 11) and Saturday (Nov. 12) at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The one-hour documentary produced by NFL Films tells the life story of the legendary Cleveland Browns fullback turned actor and how he transferred the skills he learned on the field to achieve great success off the field.
Many believe Brown retired at the prime of his career as the film tells of his great football career. The documentary takes a look into Brown’s life and the racial inequality he faced at Syracuse during the 1950s and even after his professional football career came to end and he achieved great success as an entertainer. Numerous individuals speak about Brown and his social activism efforts, particularly Lonnie Ali, the widow of Muhammad Ali, who discusses Brown’s relationship with her late husband. The film also features interviews from Hall of Famers CURTIS MARTIN, EMMITT SMITH, LARRY CSONKA, DICK BUTKUS and MARCUS ALLEN.
Brown was selected by the Browns during the first round (6th overall) of the 1957 NFL Draft out of Syracuse. A unanimous first-team All-American in 1956, Brown’s collegiate accomplishments were merely a glimpse into what he would achieve during his nine seasons with in Cleveland. He was a multisport athlete, earning All-American honors in lacrosse as well as lettering in basketball.
A tremendous all-around player, Brown was unanimously named Rookie of the Year in 1957. That same year, he played in his first of nine consecutive Pro Bowls and was named First-Team All-Pro, an honor bestowed upon eight of his nine seasons (all but
COMMITMENT • INTEGRITY • COURAGE • RESPECT • EXCELLENCE
1962) in the NFL. Additionally, he earned the first of three league MVP honors his rookie season (1957-58 and 1965).
During the 1963 season, Brown rushed for a career-high 1,863 yards, which is still a Browns franchise record. He also holds the record for most seasons (8) leading the league in rushing yards (1957-1961, 1963-65). Brown was also the quickest player to reach 100 touchdowns (93 games), a mark surpassed by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. He played in three NFL Championship Games (1957, 1964-65), winning one in 1964 against the Baltimore Colts.
Brown finished his career after nine seasons in which he started all 118 games he played. He holds the Browns franchise records with 12,312 rushing yards and 126 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, as well as NFL records of 104.3 average rushing yards per game, 5.2 rushing yards per attempt. Brown was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s, the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team, and All-Time NFL Team (selected in 2000).
Since Brown’s retirement from football, he has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, and the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Brown continues his social activism efforts today, especially the Amer-I-Can Program he started which helps gang members to rehabilitate their lives. As a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brown did not only exemplify the Hall’s values on the field – commitment, integrity, courage, respect, and excellence – but off the field, as Dr. Harry Edwards captures in his statement from the documentary. “His principal legacy is going to be what he accomplished as a football player. But Jim Brown was not principally a great football player. Jim Brown was a great man who just also happened to play a great game of football,” Edwards states.
Guests visiting the Hall of Fame this weekend will have the opportunity to view “A Football Life: Jim Brown” with the purchase of a museum admission. The hour-long film will run continuously from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For additional information about visiting “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth!” please visit: www.ProFootballHOF.com/visit/.
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ABOUT THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Located in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the National Football League, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution with the Mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.
Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe travel to Canton annually to experience “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth!” that chronicles America’s most popular sport. Millions more are reached through the Hall of Fame’s hundreds of special events held annually outside Canton and through the multiple nationally broadcast programs focused on the selection of the newest Class of Enshrinees.
COMMITMENT • INTEGRITY • COURAGE • RESPECT • EXCELLENCE
Construction on Hall of Fame Village, a $500 million development project that includes nine main components, is under way in Canton to transform the Hall of Fame’s campus.
For more information about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, please visit ProFootballHOF.com; @ProFootballHOF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
COMMITMENT • INTEGRITY • COURAGE • RESPECT • EXCELLENCE