O.J. Simpson became famous as an American football player during the 1960s. At the University of Southern California, he won the Heisman Trophy as the best collegiate player in 1968. He set multiple records as a running back for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL during the 1970s. Simpson then became a became an actor and sports commentator. Simpson’s trial in 1995 on charges that he murdered his ex-wife and her friend was nationally televised, and it became the focus of unprecedented public scrutiny. He was acquitted by a jury.