Why did they call O.J. Simpson “Juice”? The story behind the nickname

O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of a double murder charge in a high-profile 1990s trial, has died of cancer at the age of 76.

In a statement on Simpson’s profile on the social-media X, his family said on Thursday: “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”

Acquitted of murder, convicted of armed robbery

A former NFL star, Simpson was in October 1995 found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, a year earlier. In a brutal slaying in June 1994, Brown Simpson and Goldman were stabbed to death outside the LA home of Simpson’s former spouse.

While Simpson beat a double murder charge in criminal court, he was subsequently found liable for their deaths in a civil suit brought by Brown Simpson and Goldman’s families. In early 1997, a civil jury awarded Goldman’s family $8.5 million in compensatory damages.

Ten years later, Simpson was again the defendant in a criminal trial. Hit with multiple charges relating to a 2007 armed robbery in Las Vegas, he was on this occasion found guilty on all accounts. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, before being paroled in 2017, having served nearly nine years.

From award-winning football player to convicted felon

Simpson’s legal history has tarnished the legacy of a man who had earlier enjoyed an illustrious sporting career.

In college football, the running-back was a national championship winner with the USC Trojans in the 1967 season, and in 1968 was awarded the prestigious Heisman Trophy, given to the outstanding player in the NCAA game.

Simpson then spent 10 years in the NFL between 1969 and 1979, mostly with the Buffalo Bills. In his time with the Bills, he won the NFL MVP award in 1973, and was selected for the Pro Bowl five times. Having concluded his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

What is the origin of O.J. Simpson’s nickname?

During his football career, Simpson became known as “Juice”. This, it appears, is chiefly because the letters O.J. are commonly used to refer to the drink orange juice.

And as the Sporting News’ Dan Treacy explains, Simpson was part of a Bills offensive line whose nickname, “the Electric Company”, dovetailed with his own. “Juice” can be used as a slang term for electrical power.

“Whether the nickname for the Bills offensive line sprung from O.J. Simpson’s nickname isn’t entirely clear,” Treacy writes, “but together the two nicknames - and Simpson’s remarkable success on the field - helped each other become more prominent.”