O.J. Simpson visited Akron as Soap Box Derby celebrity guest
O.J. Simpson visited Akron as a celebrity guest of the All-American Soap Box Derby just as his professional football career was taking off.
The 22-year-old running back appeared at Derby Downs on Aug. 23, 1969, during the summer of his rookie year with the Buffalo Bills. One night earlier, the Bills had lost a 20-7 preseason game to the Baltimore Colts in Buffalo.
Thousands of cheering Akron spectators were thrilled to see the Heisman winner and All-American from the University of Southern California. The NFL star wore a suit and tie as he waved to the derby crowd from the back of a Chevrolet convertible at Derby Downs. Usually neatly shaven, he also sported a mustache.
Simpson died Wednesday at the age of 76, his family announced, after dealing with prostate cancer.
“He saw people. Lots of ’em. And kids,” Akron Beacon Journal reporter John Seaburn wrote. “Everywhere, a dizzying frenzy. And a band. He watched the semblance of a halftime band show for the first time in … gee, he didn’t know when.
“But it was the derby racers that caught and held his attention.”
As it turned out, Simpson had always regretted not competing in the Soap Box Derby as a kid. Growing up in San Francisco, he and his buddies had built gravity cars out of two-by-fours, wire and mismatched wheels.
“I had a racer that I guided with ropes,” Simpson recalled. “The other kids either steered with their feet or a steering wheel. But I used ropes like reins on a horse.
“We made good use of those steep hills in the San Francisco area. I never pursued it, though, and I guess I missed something.”
Derby sponsor Chevrolet arranged for Simpson and Bills teammate George Saimes of Canton to visit Akron. Other celebrities that day included Lorne Greene, Chuck Connors, Hugh O’Brian, Mark Slade, Noel Harrison and Akron’s Gus Johnson, an NBA star of the Baltimore Bullets.
Mason Bell, general manager of the derby, said organizers were “extremely fortunate and happy” to bring Simpson to town.
“Simpson’s presence at the derby had been sought as early as last February, but it recently looked impossible, due to his contract commitments, including a heavy preseason training and exhibition schedule,” Bell explained.
He thanked Bills owner Ralph Wilson for giving Simpson time off.
Asked about his thoughts on the NFL, the rookie was enthusiastic about his experience so far.
“Professional football is not much different from the college game, except that everything is done with much more finesse,” Simpson said. “Nobody tries to outstrength anyone. Instead, the blocking is better, the tackling harder and runners move with more speed and moves.
“From my standpoint, defensive backs have impressed me most. They come up much quicker and are deadly tacklers. Linebackers are in that same class.”
He had high praise for Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas, his opponent from the night before.
“The Colts come alive with that man in the lineup,” he said. “He is something that defies description. You can feel the difference he makes in the Colts.”
And he looked forward to playing Chicago’s Dick Butkus the following weekend in Cleveland during a Municipal Stadium doubleheader featuring the Bills against the Bears and the Browns against the Packers.
He said Butkus was as “tough as they come.”
“He never gives a ball carrier a second chance,” Simpson said. “He’s typical of the linebacking pursuit that makes pro defenses what they are.”
After a joyful day in Akron, Simpson had to return to football pads, workouts and team meetings.
“But Saturday. Ah, Saturday! That for O.J. Simpson, a soap box derby dropout, was something else,” Seaburn wrote.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: O.J. Simpson appeared in Akron at Soap Box Derby in 1969
