O. J. Simpson played a sport.
American football , referred to as football in the United States and Canada , and also known as `` gridiron football '' or simply `` gridiron '' , is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end . Orenthal James `` O. J. '' Simpson ( born July 9 , 1947 ) , nicknamed The Juice , is a former American football running back , broadcaster , actor , and convicted armed robber and kidnapper . He played professionally in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a running back for 11 seasons , with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 and with the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979 . A running back ( RB ) is an American and Canadian football position , a member of the offensive backfield .