James Nathaniel Brown, born in 1936, was a talented athlete, actor, and political activist who played various sports at Syracuse University. He broke numerous records in the 1950s and 1960s and won multiple Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards before retiring from professional football at the age of 30 to focus on his acting career and the civil rights movement.
Brown was selected as the number one pick in the 1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, and he captured the league rushing title, Rookie of the Year honors, and earned the league Most Valuable Player award. He led the league in rushing seven more times, be elected to every Pro Bowl, and win another Most Valuable Player award in 1965.
Brown made his film debut in the 1964 western, Rio Conchos, and starred in 100 Rifles with Rachel Welch in 1969. Over his career, he appeared in over 50 film and television projects, including Draft Day in 2014. Brown was also known as a civil rights activist, organizing the 1967 Cleveland Summit of major black athletes who supported Muhammad Ali who refused to be drafted during the Vietnam War. His work led him to found the Amer-I-Can Program, and the Amer-I-Can Foundation, which supports troubled youths and inmates through courses teaching life management and self-determination.