Jim Brown, who for a generation was the NFL's all-time leading ground gainer despite playing only nine seasons, passed away at age 87, his family reported.
After his playing career (1957-65) with the Cleveland Browns, when he was a Pro Bowl selection each year, ran for at least 942 yards in each season and averaged an all-time career high of 5.2 yards per carry, he came a mainstay of stage and screen.
He ran for at least 100 yards nearly half (58 of 118) regular-season games. His 12,312 career rushing yards is 11th all time. While he was passed by the likes of Tony Dorsett, Jerome Bettis, Eric Dickerson, Adrian Peterson, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith, all played in far more games.
