In 2013 the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary by adding a new addition adjacent to the original building. The new section of the Hall of Fame was joined to the existing section by means of a passageway called the Time Tunnel. The Hall of Fame decided to decorate the passageway by showing life-size portraits of The 15 Greatest NFL Players of All Time. The Hall of Fame hired Scott Sillcox of Heritage Sports Art to create the player images. This framed piece contains the two actual original pieces of art that were used to create the life-size image of Player #5 in the timeline – Jim Brown. To the viewer’s left is the actual original watercolor painting of Brown’s uniformed body, while the image in the center-top is the actual original painting of Brown’s face. The image to the viewer’s right is the final art that was electronically created using the two original pieces of art, and it is this compiled image that has been enlarged to life-size and can be found in the Time Tunnel at the Hall of Fame. 

The outer dimensions of this framed piece, as measured from the outside of the frame to the outside of the frame, are 45" wide x 40" tall.

Jim Brown was a superb craftsman whose primary job was to run with the football for the Cleveland Browns. For nine seasons, he did it better than any player before him. When he retired at the age of 30 at the peak of his career, he left behind a record book clogged with Jim Brown notations.

Brown was more than just a one-of-a-kind running back. He caught passes, returned kickoffs, and even threw three touchdown passes. His 12,312 rushing yards and 15,459 combined net yards put him in a then-class by himself. Jim was a unanimous first-team All-NFL pick eight times, 1957 through 1961, 1963-1965. He played in nine Pro Bowls in nine years and was the game’s outstanding back three times. He closed out his career with a three-touchdown outburst in the 1966 Pro Bowl.

Brown was unanimously named the Rookie of the Year in 1957. He was recognized that season as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by many media organizations. In all, he earned league MVP honors four times (1957, 1958, 1963, and 1965). At Syracuse University, Brown was All-America in both football and lacrosse and a letterman in basketball. Jim selected football as his career sport, however, and thus became the Cleveland Browns' number 1 draft pick in 1957. Even though coach Paul Brown was traditionally reluctant to use rookies as regulars, Jim Brown was a regular and a star from day one.

In the summer of 1966, Jim stunned the sports world with his announcement that he was retiring. Fans still ponder what heights he might have reached had he stayed on the firing line a few more seasons. As exceptional as Brown's statistics were, his durability may have been even more amazing. Despite a constant pounding from defenses always stacked against him personally, he never missed a game in nine years.

JAMES NATHANIEL BROWN … SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ... 6'2'', 232 ... SYRACUSE ALL-AMERICAN, 1956 ... BROWNS' NO. 1 DRAFT PICK, 1957 ... AWESOME RUNNER, LED NFL RUSHERS EIGHT YEARS ... ALL-NFL EIGHT OF NINE YEARS ... NFL’s MOST VALUABLE PLAYER, 1957, 1958, 1965 ... ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, 1957 ... PLAYED IN NINE STRAIGHT PRO BOWLS ... CAREER MARKS: 12,312 YARDS RUSHING, 262 RECEPTIONS, 15,459 COMBINED NET YARDS, 756 POINTS SCORED ... BORN FEBRUARY 17, 1936 IN ST. SIMONS, GEORGIA.