Jim Brown

High school

Manhasset High School

College

Syracuse University

Pro team(s)

Cleveland Browns

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

James Nathaniel Brown was born on February 17, 1936, on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and moved at age eight to Manhasset, Long Island, where he was raised by a neighbor. At Manhasset High School he was arguably the greatest multi-sport athlete in American high school history: he won 13 varsity letters in five sports — football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and track — and averaged 38 points per game in basketball his senior year. He chose Syracuse University, where he was a two-sport star in football and lacrosse and is considered one of the greatest lacrosse players in the history of the sport. The Cleveland Browns drafted him 6th overall in 1957, and Brown proceeded to redefine what a running back could be. He led the NFL in rushing eight of his nine professional seasons, won three MVP awards, made nine consecutive Pro Bowls, and led Cleveland to the 1964 NFL championship. He carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 yards — all while playing behind offensive lines that were often overmatched — and scored 106 rushing touchdowns. He never once missed a game due to injury in nine professional seasons. Brown retired in 1965, at age 29, to pursue an acting career while still in his absolute prime — leaving behind statistics and a dominance that have never been equaled at the position. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and is widely regarded as the greatest running back in NFL history. Grew up in Manhasset, Long Island, New York.