FOG BLOG SPORTS LOG: JIM BROWN , NFL HALL OF FAMER, ACTOR, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST DEAD AT 87!

Jim Brown dies at 87: Browns Hall of Famer, movie star and civil rights icon lived extraordinary life The imagery is beamed to us from days of old: a thundering, whirling Superman hurtling past dazed defenders; pulling away from a clutch of enemies to dart laterally, chop forward and break free upon a mixture of Cleveland dirt and painted grass for a long rocket blast to paydirt. Younger generations know this almost mythical on-field figure from those storied spools of black-and-white cutups, but the real-time, in-the-flesh experience of Jim Brown unfurled in high-octane color -- sometimes Technicolor. Brown, viewed by many as the greatest football player ever, died Thursday night at age 87. "It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my husband, Jim Brown," Monique Brown said in a statement on Friday. "He passed peacefully last night at our L.A. home. To the world, he was an activist, actor and football star. To our family, he was a loving and wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Our hearts are broken." One of the NFL's first superstars, Brown shattered the league's record books during a short career that spanned from 1957 to 1965. "On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Monique and their family," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement on Friday. "Jim Brown was a gifted athlete -- one of the most dominant players to ever step on any athletic field -- but also a cultural figure who helped promote change. "During his nine-year NFL career, which coincided with the civil rights movement here at home, he became a forerunner and role model for athletes being involved in social initiatives outside their sport. He inspired fellow athletes to make a difference, especially in the communities in which they lived."

His résumé reads like that of a man from somewhere beyond any normal place, capturing eight NFL rushing titles in nine seasons, along with three MVP awards, eight first-team All-Pro nods and a Pro Bowl berth in every campaign he touched. Brown rampaged for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns -- and never missed a game in nine years before walking away from football in 1966, at age 30, as the only man to average 100-plus rushing yards per outing over his career. "Jim Brown is a true icon of not just the Cleveland Browns but the entire NFL," Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said in a statement on Friday. "He was certainly the greatest to ever put on a Browns uniform and arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history. Jim was one of the reasons the Browns have such a tremendous fan base today. So many people grew up watching him just dominate every time he stepped onto the football field but his countless accolades on the field only tell a small part of his story." Yes, the football feats only begin to paint the imprint left on America by Jim Brown, who bolted the gridiron at the height of his powers to pursue an acting career in Hollywood and continue a lifelong mission as an outspoken activist for issues of social justice, economic empowerment and civil rights.