NFL Offseason - Jim Brown, considered one of the greatest players in NFL history, passed away today at the age of 87. They say that Brown may be the only man who was the greatest ever at two different sports. He was a legendary lacrosse player at Syracuse. In the modern world, I don't think any of us would choose a running back as the greatest player in NFL history but the position was more important in Brown's time and he definitely may have been the greatest. Brown is the only player to average over five yards per carry with a minimum of 1,500 attempts (5.