How Good Was Jim Brown Actually?

Jim Brown is widely considered the most dominant football player to ever live. Blazing speed combined with brutalizing power, his game is like a mythical being. When the Cleveland Browns were at their heights, yes 60 years ago, Jim Brown was at the epicenter of the NFL’s explosion in popularity. But it’s been over half a century since Brown graced the NFL, so just how good was he actually?

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[larryhillman]

Jim Brown was not only the best running back of his era but the best football player of all time in my opinion. I'm 72 and watched him play many times and he was amazing. He had no weakness. He had great power and speed and was an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Nobody has ever been on his level. GOAT with no doubt

[dougdrazga]

My dad was a Steelers fan for all of his 75 years and went to games for 27. I asked him the best player he ever saw. I barely got the question out when he said, "Jim Brown. It isn't close." Good enough for me.

[Bobbyo]

I grew up in Cincinnati, and we didn’t have a professional football team at that time, so we were all Browns fans. The year he retired I was a senior in high school, so I got to watch his whole career. He was, and in my opinion, still is the greatest running back to play the game.

[ARIZJOE]

When I was a little boy, I saw Jim Brown play about a dozen times. The roar of 80, 000 people in Cleveland Municipal made a big impression, to put it lightly.

[carseye]

The fact that he finished 5th in the Heisman voting was disgraceful. No other explanation other than racism. Dick Schaap, the great sportswriter, surrendered his Heisman ballot privilege in protest. Hornung won it for an awful Notre Dame team, completing all of 59 passes and rushing for 420 yds. Brown ran for nearly 1, 000 yds in 8 games for a 7-2 Orange team. Every one that voted for Hornung should be ashamed.

[daviddrake]

My Dad loved Jim Brown. He took me to see the Rams-Browns pre-season game every year Brown played. He was incredible!

[Ballr]

Jim Brown is on the short list of the greatest all-around athletes ever, and is still the greatest football player of all time IMO.

[diannewallace]

Got to watch Brown play in person in the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium over 20 times. Also saw Otto Graham + Wilt the Stilt + MJ and LeBron and Kareem and Mickey Mantle and the "Say Hey" kid. Yep, the old days when everything seemed simpler, our spirits brighter and our hearts lighter. The old days when we thought we would live forever.

[markkent]

I lived in Cleveland during his career and saw every game he played in. If I had just one word to descibe his play it would be...Unstoppable!

[chrisozzy]

I saw Jimmy Brown for his entire career, and in person probably a dozen times . He was on another level compared to the rest of the league . It was run first, pass second, and nobody, BUT NOBODY, was as good as Jim Brown . A man among boys .

[gdholmfirth]

I was fortunate enough to get to speak with a defensive player from the Lions championship team of '57, who played for some years after that with other teams. I asked him who the toughest runner he ever faced was and he immediately said "Jim Brown".

[jamesbryson]

No words for Jim Brown...only eye-watering HEART and TALENT in every sport he graced.

[moopert]

If Brown had not retired young, his records would be absolutely untouchable.

[JorgeGarcia-lrvk]

For you football fans out there, I recommend watching Any Given Sunday. Jim Brown is in the movie as the defensive coordinator and has a moment where he chews out Lawrence Taylor (he is also in the movie).

[jahmanoog]

What the video doesn't mention is how run oriented thr entire league was (3 yards and a cloud of dust); he got these yards with the opposing team knowing it was a run. He was very difficult to tackle.

[andrewcarroll]

Nice to see some respect paid to an all time great. I didn’t realize that JB was such a multi-sport freak of nature. Nice tip of the hat to Wilt Chamberlain; he is by y FAR the greatest basketball player of all time and perhaps one of the greatest all around athletes too. Jim Brown & Wilt Chamberlain were before their time and it’s a sin that more sports fans don’t know just how dominate they were.

[johnwilcox]

Old guy from Cleveland here. The '64 season stands out the most for me, I was in 4th grade then, and the Browns and Jim Brown were my heroes! In a city without much else to cheer about it was a fabulous show every Sunday! Many happy memories of watching Jim Brown demolishing the Steelers and the Packers in a blizzard!

[flstcmcodonnell]

I was a senior in high school in 1963 when Sunday's came around I wouldn't go anywhere till the Browns were done playing I never wanted to miss a touchdown from the greatest running back I've ever seen

[beatlejim]

Brown played from 1957 to 1965...he won the rushing title in 1965. He beat out RB'S Lenny Moore...Paul Hornung...Jim Taylor...Bobby Mitchell...Joe"The Jet" Perry...John Henry Johnson...Hugh McElhenney...all are in the HOF. Defenses were stacked up to stop him...they couldn't! Brown averaged 104 yards a game...5.2 yards a carry...never missed a game in his career...won the NFL title in 1964. While shooting the movie, "The Dirty Dozen" in London in early 1966...Jim Brown...at the height of his powers...called it quits!!!

[whitewalker]

As a Cleveland fan for nearly my whole life, I got to see all the Jim Brown highlights growing up. He was an amazing athlete. No question on that. He is also an amazing person. I’m glad that others are getting to see a little something about how good he really was. Maybe it will inspire some to go and look at his other philanthropic work as well.