orig. James Nathaniel Brown born Feb. 17, 1936, St. Simons, Ga., U.S. U.S. football player, often considered the greatest running back of all time. He was an All-American in football and lacrosse at Syracuse University. In his nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1957-65), he set NFL overall rushing and combined yardage records that stood until 1984. Averaging a record 5.22 yards per carry in his career, Brown led the NFL in rushing in eight of the nine years he played. After retiring from football, he became a movie actor