Timeline of key moments from football career to murder trial [Video]

O.J. Simpson, former NFL running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer, passed away this week following his “battle with cancer,” his family announced Thursday.

Simpson, who was 76, was most remembered for his football career and roles as a movie star, TV pitchman and sports commentator before being acquitted in the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in a made-for-TV trial that captivated the nation.

Simpson began his prolific football career in 1967 when he led all college running backs in rushing in his first season at the University of Southern California, before winning college football’s top honor – the Heisman Trophy – a year later.

He then went to the Buffalo Bills as the first pick in the 1969 draft before retiring a decade later with 11,236 rushing yards, second-most in NFL history at the time. In 1985, Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

OJ …