Movies

PLANO – Jim Brown has been the subject of a Spike Lee documentary. He and Raquel Welch shared the first interracial love scene in the history of American cinema, in the steamy 100 Rifles. He has worked with Al Pacino, Lee Marvin and Oliver Stone and appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies.

He had a major role in The Dirty Dozen, a World War II movie released in 1967 during the Vietnam era, a film now regarded as a cult classic. It's celebrated as much for its anti-war subtlety as for its prowess as a heavyweight action film.

But Mr. Brown, now a vibrant 71, is remembered for none of those. He's remembered as the best running back in the history of the National Football League.

He never played in a Super Bowl, but despite his slow gait that carries just the hint of a limp, he still holds numerous NFL rushing records even though he retired at 29.

He left when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell demanded he report to training camp instead of wrapping up filming on The Dirty Dozen. It ushered in a new career for the athlete, whose status as a black male icon is examined thoroughly in Spike Lee's 2002 documentary, Jim Brown: All-American.

On a recent fall morning, Mr. Brown attended a signing ceremony at Signature Collectibles at the Shops at Willow Bend in West Plano. He says The Dirty Dozen was easily the hallmark of his film career.

"It's a classic," he says, wearing his trademark African cap. "I got to work under [director] Robert Aldrich and with so many great actors who took me under their wing and helped me."

He is sitting at a table, signing his name to the Cleveland Browns' signature orange helmets. Fathers who remember him have brought their sons and are posing for pictures.

"The Dirty Dozen turned out real fine for all of us," he says, the remnants of his native Georgia still evident in his buttery accent. "And I had such a great time in England."

Those who know football contend he left the game prematurely, à la Barry Sanders. But if he has regrets, he keeps them to himself.

With war still raging in Iraq and other battles having come and gone, he feels pride, he says, to have starred in a film "which, if you pay close attention to it, had so many social implications. It is an anti-war film, whose message was made more powerful because it was handled so subtly."

Mr. Brown says he brought to both football and movies "who I am. I am simply just a man. Being a man is so much bigger than either career. Other athletes can shatter my records, and have, and other actors may overshadow your achievements on the screen, but no one can take away the man that I am. If you stand for nothing, then those careers mean nothing."

Those of us old enough to remember can still see Mr. Brown dragging as many as nine Dallas Cowboys into the Cotton Bowl end zone during a game there in the 1960s. Hall of Fame defensive tackle Bob Lilly was among the pursuing Cowboys. Mr. Lilly has long maintained that Mr. Brown may be the best he ever played against.

At the mention of Mr. Lilly, Mr. Brown smiles fondly.

"One of the best I ever played against," he says. "He's a good man, too."

Mr. Brown says the importance of being "a man" is the message he brings to his Amer-I-Can program, which helps troubled kids across the country.

"Integrity, honesty, character ... these are the things you have to have," he says, "and I brought them to both careers. They'll endure long after I'm forgotten as a football player or movie star."

He follows football and the movies, and both leave him shaking his head.

"So many resources being wasted," he says. "It's really not helping our young people. We're going through such a crisis right now. I look around and see all these negatives – steroids, dogfighting, guns, and this is happening to the elite! Obviously, fame and money are not making a positive difference. If anything, they're feeding the negativity.

"It's like I tell my kids in Amer-I-Can. Integrity, honesty, character ... in the end, what else do you have?"