SAN DIEGO — Orenthal James Simpson, the legendary football player made infamous during a sensational double murder trial, has died at age 76. His family says O.J. Simpson had prostate cancer.
Simpson was a star running back at USC and played 11 seasons in the NFL before he was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. A jury found him not guilty.
Lincoln High School football coach, David Dunn, was a college football player at Fresno State who was on his way home for a break when he got stuck in traffic during O.J. Simpson's iconic LA slow-speed chase.
"We were getting close to LA and I'm wondering why it's backed up. I normally have a four-hour drive home. That day it took 10 hours," Dunn remembered.
Dunn says despite the controversy that riddled his life, Simpson had a gift.
"No one can debate that. He did great things on the football field. He did great things for USC and great things in the NFL," offered Dunn.
“When we see professional athletes, entertainers, and movie stars fall from grace or make choices that put them in horrible situations, it’s painful to watch,” Dunn added. "It separates the accomplishments on the field from what happened off the field."
Dunn remembers the bright and shining star that was O.J. before the infamous double murder trial. Simpson was everywhere from movies to commercials.
"Anytime you travel and you see someone running through the airport, that's the first thing you think of. That Hertz commercial, running through the airport, jumping over bags trying to make it. That was a classic."
For many, that's why Simpson's fall from grace was so painful on and off the field. He meant so much to so many.
Lincoln High School Alum and football star, Marcus Allen was once friends with Simpson. In May 1996, Allen testified during the wrongful death suit filed against Simpson by the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
Dunn spoke to Lincoln High's football players who hope to achieve the heights of O.J.'s famed football career.
"They become idols to us and when we see them fall from grace or make terrible decisions or do things that's completely out of character, it hurts."
O.J., or “The Juice” as he was called, was a football star turned Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges that alleged he killed his former wife and her friend. The trial mesmerized the public and exposed divisions on race and policing in America.
"It divided a lot of people,” Dunn remembered of the trial in the early 90s. “It divided a culture. It divided a race. It divided a lot of things."
But there's something to be learned.
“The very valuable lesson that we teach our kids is to try your best to avoid all negative situations,” Dunn said.
Lincoln High School students have a motto that was popularized by one of their basketball coaches: “Walk Away, No Drama Today.”
"Any problem that's not okay, for any situation that can spiral out," Dunn said. "If you walk away, you get to talk about it another day. If you make a bad decision, your whole life could be turned upside down."
It’s a lesson from which we all could learn.
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