Holy Cr!*: This is the most shocking thing about track I've learned in a long time-OJ Simpson was on a 4x1 World Record Team

I know this is an old thread, but……..

Is it really that shocking that a world class running back has good times?

OJ Simpson: Great athlete, bad actor, and bad ex-husband.

crete wrote:

Literally everyone knows O.J. once held a track WR.

No kidding. I'm shocked this showed up on a major track and field forum. I assumed it was common knowledge. The topic used to surface multiple times on every telecast of trials or Olympics. It was mentioned frequently during O.J's football career and during the mid '90s at the time of the trial.

But there are probably other tidbits from that era that have slipped into obscurity also. For example, as a kid I remember how flabbergasted and excited the ABC commentators were during the 1972 marathon when Frank Shorter was leading late. One commentator was not a professional broadcaster. He was a famous songwriter, or something like that. An impostor ran out onto the course just before the stadium. The songwriter guy went absolutely nuts, imploring Shorter to ignore the guy.

You can’t fix dumb and semi-literate and that’s exactly what the men who made this website are. What’s that make us?

rojo togo wrote:

You can’t fix dumb and semi-literate and that’s exactly what the men who made this website are. What’s that make us?

At least we know two who are dumb and dumber than we. Not much of an achievement, but a little better than zero. Third from last.

Awsi Dooger wrote:

crete wrote:

Literally everyone knows O.J. once held a track WR.

No kidding. I'm shocked this showed up on a major track and field forum. I assumed it was common knowledge. The topic used to surface multiple times on every telecast of trials or Olympics. It was mentioned frequently during O.J's football career and during the mid '90s at the time of the trial.

But there are probably other tidbits from that era that have slipped into obscurity also. For example, as a kid I remember how flabbergasted and excited the ABC commentators were during the 1972 marathon when Frank Shorter was leading late. One commentator was not a professional broadcaster. He was a famous songwriter, or something like that. An impostor ran out onto the course just before the stadium. The songwriter guy went absolutely nuts, imploring Shorter to ignore the guy.

Your memory is blotchy. Erich Siegel was a writer and professor at Harvard. He was also a prolific runner and very good at it. He also did color commentating for running events many times.

And what about the time they had never heard of Bobby Morrow? But at least they were willing to admit their ignorance.

Imagine if OJ would have sticked with running he would have killed it.

Sept, 1973 "like Grant going through Richmond"

O. J. Simpson, a Heisman Trophy winner as a running back at Southern California, started his fifth season in the National Football League with explosive power yester day, gaining 250 yards as the Buffalo Bills whipped the New England Patriots, 31‐13, at Foxboro, Mass.

The total broke the league record of 247 set in 1971 by Willie Ellison, then of the Los Angeles Rams. Simpson also pushed his total career yardage to 3,428 yards to break the Buffalo club record of 3,268 set by Wray Carlton.

Simpson, who led the N.F.L. in rushing with 1,251 yards last season, carried the ball 29 times. He broke loose for touchdown runs of 80 and 22 yards. He set the record on a 7‐yard advance with 70 seconds remaining in the game.

“It looked like Grant going through Richmond,” said Chuck Fairbanks, the New England coach, who lost in his debut. “We were helpless and couldn't slow him down. We'd have a hole blocked up, but O. J.'s natural ability got him away from the hole.”