OJ Simpson death: His incredible career before the trial

Before his murder trial gripped the nation, O.J. Simpson was more known for his accomplished career in the NFL, regarded as one of the best running backs to ever play the game.

His successful career on the field was obviously overshadowed by his controversial acquittals, but there's no question he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his remarkable 11-year career.

O.J. ended his career with 11,236 rushing yards, 2,142 receiving yards, and 990 kick return yards. He had 76 total touchdowns.

To put it in perspective, Simpson had three seasons where he rushed for over 1,800 yards, putting up 12 and 16 touchdowns in two of them. The current best running back in the NFL, Christian McCafferey of the San Francisco 49ers, just had the best season of his career and finished 3rd in MVP voting with 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Simpson holds several NFL records, including two for the fastest player to gain 1,000 rushing yards in a season (seven games), and most rushing yards per game in a season, averaging 143.1 per game in 1973.

FILE-O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills runs during a game against the San Diego Chargers in San Diego, California. (Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

Many remember Simpson's sensational 1973 MVP season, when he became the first back in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards, breaking Jim Brown’s single-season rushing record (1,863 in 1963).

Before playing for the Buffalo Bills, O.J. put up 3,423 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns in two seasons at USC.

Simpson made six Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro selection five times, and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1970's, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.

It's also noteworthy to mention Simpson worked in dozens of movies and TV shows prior to his trial, including The Naked Gun, Roots and commentating on Monday Night Football.

O.J. played his final NFL game 15 years before he was put on trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.