Anyone who's lived through the '90s probable knows all about the O.J. Simpson saga. The onetime NFL actor was tried and ultimately acquitted for the 1994 murder of his wife, Nicole Brownish Simpson. The case received an enormous amount of attention, and the ruling remains controversial to this day.

Fifty-fifty those who consider themselves "experts" on the case may not know most the couple's early on days. The circumstances of how the couple first met are just as bizarre as much of what followed. Let'due south wait at Simpson'due south NFL career and the early days of his relationship with his ex-wife Nicole.

O.J. Simpson'due south NFL career

RELATED: O.J. Simpson Was Inspired to Play Sports Subsequently Meeting Willie Mays

Simpson spent 11 seasons in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills selected him with the showtime pick of the 1969 AFL-NFL Common Draft. After some disputes over Simpson'south salary — he demanded a then-tape contract of $650,000 over five seasons — he took over every bit one of the Bills' starting running backs. He became an AFL All-Star in his rookie flavor.

Simpson ultimately spent nine years with the Bills, racking upward several personal achievements. He played in five Pro Bowls, made five First-squad All-Pro teams, and own both the NFL MVP and the NFL Offensive Role player of the Twelvemonth awards in 1973. He too led the league in rushing yards on four occasions and in rushing touchdowns twice.

Prior to the 1978 flavor, the Bills traded Simpson to the 49ers in substitution for a bevy of typhoon picks. Simpson spent 2 years in San Francisco, by and large every bit a starter only putting up numbers that were only a fraction of what he accomplished at his peak. Following the 1979 season, Simpson officially retired from the NFL.

Simpson meets Nicole Brown, his future wife

O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown
Nicole Brown and O.J. Simpson circa 1984 | Michael Ochs Athenaeum/Getty Images

Simpson met his future wife Nicole Brown in June of 1977 — not long before the Bills traded him to the 49ers. In other words, at that point, the 29-year-onetime running back was nearing the end of his NFL career. Brown, meanwhile, had just entered her career every bit an developed. She'd turned eighteen and graduated loftier schoolhouse simply weeks before she met Simpson.

At the fourth dimension, Brown worked as a waitress at a Beverly Hills nightclub called Daisy. She and Simpson quickly became involved. As Brown's close friend Kris Jenner put it, according to E! Online, the couple was "madly in honey," although even at that early stage Simpson was already showing signs of his problematic jealousy. Some other trouble also arose: Simpson was already married.

Divorce and marriage

RELATED: What Happened to the White Bronco From the O.J. Simpson Chase?

Simpson married his first married woman, Marguerite L. Whitley in June 1967. The couple had 3 children together, although one of them died in a tragic swimming pool accident every bit a toddler. Simpson didn't let his wedlock stand up in the way of his relationship with Chocolate-brown. She even moved in with him a few months subsequently they began dating.

Simpson didn't make his divorce from Whitley official until March 1979. That finally opened up the possibility of marriage with Brown. Yet the couple didn't rush into information technology, waiting until 1985 to finally necktie the knot. The rocky marriage lasted vii years before Brown filed for divorce in February 1992. A 1993 attempt at reconciliation ultimately failed.

Then, on June 12, 1994, Brown and her friend Ron Goldman were constitute stabbed to death outside of her condo in LA. Wanted as a person of interest, Simpson failed to turn himself in to the police force. What followed was a televised car chase that ended with Simpson'south arrest. What followed was i of the nigh highly publicized incidents of the 20th century.