Simpson’s passing highlights his area roots

On April 10, 2024, the story of one of the most polarizing figures in sports history passed away at the age of 76, before his 77th birthday on July 9. What some don’t know is how close his story was to this area. Only a stone’s throw away, twenty minutes from Atlanta, Texas in Rodessa, Louisiana, O.J. Simpson spent summers with his mom, and on his grandma’s farm.

According to a story written on KSLA, “His mother, the late Eunice Simpson, was a native of Rodessa, a former boomtown in Caddo Parish.

“When I was a kid, as far back as I can remember, I’d spend my summers in Rodessa, which is right out of town, and Vivian, that’s where my grandparents’ farm was,” Simpson said. “My mother, as I said, went to high school here. And every summer, we were down here,” said Simpson at the time.

According to the Chronicle, His mother later passed away on Nov 17, 2001. “Eunice Simpson, the mother of O.J. Simpson, was remembered by her family yesterday in San Francisco as a selfless, generous, and devout mother who held her family together through crisis and tragedy.”

“A native of Rodessa, La., Mrs. Simpson was a nurse’s aide at Laguna Honda and San Francisco General hospitals for four decades. She was a longtime volunteer for the Sal- vation Army and the Bayview- Hunters Point Senior Center, and a pianist for her church and its Sunday school.”

Simpson for his part would come to visit friends and family even relatively recently. In 2018 he was interviewed by KSLA while in the area.

The 2000 book “Tabloid Culture: Trash Taste, Popular Power and the Transformation of American Television” recounts a story about Simpson’s affinity for that area.

“I still need Rodessa and my roots. It may seem like such a dead place to some. But when you’re in the middle of New York, Los Angeles or Detroit, Rodessa seems very alive,” Simpson is quoted as saying.

“I need it very badly. I need to get back there to get in touch with myself. I’d like to return again, and I’d like to send my children down for a vacation. It’s home to me.”

Simpson first acquired notoriety as one of the best running backs in history, both collegiately and then as a pro.

“Simpson played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected first overall by the Bills in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. During his nine seasons with the Bills, he received five consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections from 1972 to 1976.

He also led the league in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns twice, and in points scored in 1975. He became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, earning him NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), and is the only NFL player to do so in a 14-game regular season. He holds the record for the single-season yards-pergame average at 143.1.” Wikipedia.

After football Simpson again gained more fame by becoming a broadcaster for ABC’s Wide World of Sports from 1961 to 1997 according to imdb.com.

He also became a wellknown actor, becoming the spokesperson for Hertz and acting in the noted show Dragnet movies like The Naked Gun. He was even considered to be the Terminator actor whose role eventually went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

However, he quickly went from hero to villain during the infamous June 17, 1994, Bronco chase when according to the AP, “Al Cowlings, with OJ Simpson hiding, drives a white Ford Bronco as they lead police on a two-county chase along the northbound 405 Freeway towards Simpson’s home, June 17, 1994, in Los Angeles.”

This came after the bodies of his ex-wife Nichole Brown and friend, waiter Ron Goldman were found dead on June 12, 1994, outside her home, murdered in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California.

“Following a controversial and highly publicized criminal trial, Simpson was acquitted of both charges of murder, despite forensic and eyewitness evidence supporting the prosecution’s case, though he was later found liable for committing both killings in a civil lawsuit in 1997.”

However, Simpson would eventually find his way to Jail after he was convicted of theft of memorabilia items he claimed were his.

“On October 3, 2008— exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman—Simpson was found guilty of all 12 charges.

Right after the verdict was read, Simpson, who had been free on bail prior to this point, was handcuffed and remanded to the Clark County detention center without bail, pending sentencing.

On December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison with eligibility for parole in nine years (in October 2017). On July 20, 2017, Simpson was granted parole and was freed three months later. [7] In December 2021, he was granted early discharge from parole.

Local business owner Bernie Woods who grew up with Simpson said this after his passing “I’ve known him forever. I didn’t judge him. If you met him, you would know that he was a really down-to-earth person. I saw him many, many, many times. Take more pictures with people, strangers than you can imagine. They would always ask him. He would never say no, even if he was in pain, he would get up, hug somebody and take a picture and always wish them well,” Woods said to KTAL.

According to KSLA “Woods and Simpson were friends for nearly 50 years. Over the course of that time, the two spent a great deal of time together traveling, golfing and making memories to last a lifetime.

“In his last days, Woods says Simpson was ‘out of it’ and unable to talk, but he mustered the strength to call his closest friends to say his final goodbyes on Sunday.

“He knew that his passing was imminent. He wanted to, you know, say his goodbyes to a lot of friends, the close ones. He had many that were special friends, and I was one of them, and so he called to tell me goodbye,” Woods said. “He was in the bed he couldn’t say much, but he said he loved me, and he waved goodbye.”

“Wood says he will remember his friend for the person that he was, outside of the controversy.”

“In May 2023, Simpson reported that he had been diagnosed with cancer and expressed confidence that he would beat it. He also said he started chemotherapy.

In February 2024, it was reported that Simpson was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.[169] A week and a half before his death, Simpson canceled a scheduled memorabilia signing because he was not feeling well. In the final days before his death, all of Simpson’s children visited him. He died of the disease on April 10, 2024, at the age of 76. At the time, Simpson had been living in Las Vegas, right next to the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club. – Wikipedia.