American football running backs

Lindy_Infante

Gelindo "Lindy" Infante (March 27, 1940 – October 8, 2015) was an American football player and coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League (NFL) and the United States Football League (USFL). Infante played college football for the University of Florida, and later served as the head coach of the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL, and the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts of the NFL.

O.J._Simpson

Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), commonly referred to as O. J. Simpson, is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills, and is regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. Once a popular figure with the American public, Simpson's professional success was overshadowed by his trial and controversial acquittal for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
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, Simpson 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. In 1973, 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. Simpson holds the record for the single-season yards-per-game average at 143.1. After retiring with the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, Simpson pursued an acting and broadcasting career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
In June 1994, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of Brown and Goldman. He was acquitted in a lengthy and internationally publicized trial, but found liable for the deaths three years later in a civil suit from the victims' families. To date, Simpson has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment (equivalent to $61 million in 2022).
In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He served his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center near Lovelock, Nevada. He was granted parole on July 20, 2017, which was the minimum sentence. He was released on October 1, 2017. In December 2021, Simpson was granted early release from his parole by the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation.

Randy_Minniear

Randall Harry Minniear (December 27, 1943 – August 13, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played in the NFL for the New York Giants from 1966 to 1969 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1970.Minniear died on August 13, 2023, at the age of 79.

Martin_Kottler

Martin Albert "Butch" Kottler (May 1, 1910 – June 10, 1989) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was a charter member of the Pittsburgh Pirates (which would later be renamed the Steelers).
Kottler was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania to Martin and Christine (Eichner) Kottler. He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky where he starred on the football team and was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.He joined the newly formed Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933. In the club's second game, on September 27, 1933, he scored the first touchdown in franchise history for on a 99-yard interception return. This would stand as the longest interception return in franchise history until Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, when James Harrison returned an interception 100 yards.
During World War II and the Korean War, Kottler served in the United States Army Air Corps. He achieved the rank of captain before leaving the service in 1953. He then embarked on a long career in the auto industry, including many years as an executive at Avis. He was married to Bernice Mary Saunders and the couple had a daughter, Cheryl. He died following a long illness in 1989 at the age of 79.

Royce_Womble

Royce Cullen Womble (August 12, 1931 – November 30, 2016) was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played five seasons for the NFL's Baltimore Colts and the AFL's Los Angeles Chargers. He died from complications of Alzheimer's disease in 2016.

Jim_Bertelsen

James Allen Bertelsen (February 26, 1950 – May 7, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a running back for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and was a highly regarded high school football player in Wisconsin out of Hudson.
As a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, he helped lead the Longhorns to a national championship in the wishbone option offense, alongside James Street, Steve Worster, and Ted Koy. As a senior in 1971, Bertlesen was the team's lead ground gainer. In his career at Texas (1969–1971), he rushed for 2,510 yards, averaging 6.1 yards a carry and 33 touchdowns, and also had nine 100-yard rushing games.
Bertelsen was selected in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams with the 30th overall pick. He averaged four yards per carry as a pro, and rushed for 854 yards in 1973. After his NFL career, Bertelsen returned to the Austin area.
He died on May 7, 2021. He was divorced at the time of his death. He had a son, a daughter and a granddaughter.

Bill_Reinhard

Carl William Reinhard (May 17, 1922 – January 30, 2016) was an American football player. He played professionally in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Los Angeles Dons. Born in Los Angeles, California, Reinhard played college football at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1944 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. His brother Bob Reinhard also played in the AAFC. Reinhard died in January 2016 at the age of 93.

Duke_Iversen

Christopher Arnold "Duke" Iversen (February 26, 1920 – May 20, 2011) was an American football player who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the New York Giants, New York Yankees and New York Yanks. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 1947 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oregon and attended Petaluma High School in Petaluma, California. His family's name was spelled "Iverson" but a doctor misspelled it as "Iversen" on Duke's birth certificate.

Irv_Langhoff

John Irvin Langhoff (August 24, 1897 – January 12, 1952) was a player in the National Football League for the Racine Legion in 1922 and 1923. He played at the collegiate level at Marquette University.

Steve_Juzwik

Stephen Robert Juzwik (June 18, 1918 – June 5, 1964) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Buffalo Bisons/Bills and the Chicago Rockets. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was drafted in the 21st round of the 1942 NFL Draft. He wed Rosemary Brady and together they had three children—Kathy, Ellen, and Steve. He is the grandfather to Rosemary Kremkau, Paul Brunner, Laura Tomase, Patrick Brunner, and Julie Thuline.