Jim Brown - NFL's Greatest

Giving Back to the Community

James Nathaniel Brown was born in 1936 at St. Simons Island on the southern Georgia coastline. He was raised by his grandmother until age 7 when he joined his mother near Long Island, New York. He later enrolled in near by Manhasset High School where his sensational athletic career began averaging 14.9 yards per carry on the football field and 38 points on the basketball court.
Jim Brown was educated at Syracuse University where he was named as an All-American running back, averaging 6.2 yards in his senior year and later was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He also was an All-American in lacrosse and is considered one of the best players ever in that sport. Jim Brown also excelled academically and was honored as one of 5 recipients of the "NCAA Silver Anniversary Outstanding Students of the Past 25 Years."

Jim Brown played professional football with the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1966. During his illustrious and legendary career, Mr. Brown established many records, including a 9-year career total of 12,312 yards gained. His 5.2 yards per carry average has never been broken. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame and is considered by many as the greatest running back in football history. He retired at the peak of his professional football career after winning the NFL Championship and MVP of the League to become a motion picture actor.

As a screen actor, Mr. Brown has appeared in over 20 motion pictures, including The Dirty Dozen (1967), El Condor (1970), Slaughter and Black Gunn (1972), Original Gangs's (1996) and Mars Attacks (1996).

While playing for the Cleveland Browns, Jim Brown began laying the foundation for the Negro Industrial and Economic Union (NIEU) whose motto was "produce, achieve and prosper." In 1966, he and some of the finest African-American minds in the country, formally established the NIEU which was principally capitalized with a Ford Foundation Grant in excess of $1 Million. Over 400 African-American businesses benefited from the Union's capital support and technical expertise.

In 1980, Jim Brown set his aspirations toward helping empower the disenfranchised, and become involved with Coor Golden Door and Barriers, both job creation programs for ex-convicts to properly re-introduce them to society's mainstream. Mr. Brown's 6 year association with the Vital Issues Project helped elevate that organization's status nationally and help thousands of inmates and ex-convicts transition to society.

In 1988, Jim Brown founded and became President of The Amer-I-Can Program Inc. The core of the program is a self-esteem/life management skills curriculum that teaches responsibility and self-determination. Combined with a strong after-care component, the Amer-I-Can Program is considered as a premier prevention and intervention tool in reaching the " hardcore" and the at -risk population. A powerful weapon in accomplishing this task is that 95% of the Amer-I-Can staff is composed of former gang members and/or ex-convicts. Mr. Brown's Herculean efforts contributed to the gang truce and helped keep peace among warring gang sets during the Los Angeles Uprising.

While most know Jim Brown for his accomplishments as NFL's greatest running back ever, and as an actor, it is his accomplishments off of the playing field and the silver screen that are truly his legacy. All so many are people are willing to take everything that life has to give, but far fewer are willing to give back to help those that have been less fortunate in life. Jim Brown is one of those "few", and to him we take our hats (or helmets) off to. Thank You Jim!

 
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