Al Cowlings facts for kids

Allen Cedric "A.C." Cowlings (born June 16, 1947) is a former American football player and actor. He played college football for the USC Trojans. He was picked fifth overall in the first round of the 1970 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.

Cowlings was a starter at different defensive positions for several NFL teams. These included the Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers. He retired after the 1979 football season. He is also known for a famous car chase in 1994 involving his close friend O. J. Simpson.

Early Life and Friendship

Cowlings was born on June 16, 1947, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the city's Potrero Hill neighborhood. There, he was part of a social club called the Superiors.

He went to Galileo High School. This is where he first played football with O. J. Simpson. They became good friends. After high school, both attended City College of San Francisco and played on the football team together.

Football Career Highlights

Cowlings was a talented football player. After his senior year at the University of Southern California (USC), he was named an All-American defensive tackle. During his senior year, his team, the Trojans, had an amazing undefeated season. Cowlings was a key player on their strong defensive line. This group of players was even nicknamed "The Wild Bunch," like the famous movie.

Drafted into the NFL

The Buffalo Bills chose Cowlings fifth overall in the first round of the 1970 NFL draft. He was a starter for his first three years with the Bills. After the 1972 season, he was traded to the Houston Oilers.

He played in all 14 games for the Oilers in both 1973 and 1974. In 1975, he played five games for the Rams. In 1976, he joined the Seattle Seahawks as one of their first players. He played only one game that year due to an injury.

Later Career and Retirement

Cowlings returned to the Rams in 1977. He then played with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 1978. He finished his football career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Acting Career

After his football career, Cowlings also worked as an actor. His first movie role was in the 1985 film Bubba Until It Hurts. This movie starred another former football player, Bubba Smith.

Cowlings also had a small, repeated role as Coach Nabors. This was in the HBO football TV show 1st & Ten. O. J. Simpson also starred in this show. Cowlings also helped as a football advisor for the movie The Last Boy Scout in 1991.

Friendship with O. J. Simpson

Cowlings was a close friend of O. J. Simpson, whom he had known since childhood

Cowlings and O. J. Simpson were very close friends. They had known each other since they were kids. They were teammates in high school at Galileo High School, at City College of San Francisco, and at USC. They also played together on the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers.

Cowlings was the godfather to Simpson's son, Jason. He was also a groomsman at Simpson's wedding to Nicole Brown Simpson in 1985. Cowlings was also the ring bearer at the wedding of their mutual friends, Robert and Kris Kardashian, in 1978.

The Bronco Chase

On June 17, 1994, O. J. Simpson was supposed to turn himself in to the police. However, he did not show up. Later that day, people saw Simpson riding in a white Ford Bronco. This vehicle belonged to and was being driven by Cowlings.

This led to a slow-speed car chase on the freeways with police cars following. News helicopters broadcast the chase live on TV. It interrupted the 1994 NBA Finals and was watched by millions of people. The chase ended at Simpson's home in Brentwood. Simpson then surrendered to the police.

After the chase, Cowlings was arrested. He was charged with helping someone avoid the police. He was later released on bail. However, the charges against Cowlings were eventually dropped because there was not enough evidence.

Cowlings's 1993 Ford Bronco from the chase was later bought by Simpson's former sports agent. As of 2017, the vehicle is on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum. It is part of an exhibit about the famous legal case.

Public Statements

During the time of O. J. Simpson's legal proceedings, Cowlings held a press conference. He announced that he had set up a special 900 phone number. People could call this number to ask him questions about anything, except the legal case itself. Reports about how much money he made from this were never confirmed. Cowlings later said under oath that the 900 number only "broke even." This was the only time Cowlings officially spoke to the media about the Simpson case.

Personal Life

Cowlings is a member of the 2009 USC Athletic Hall of Fame. Other famous athletes like Junior Seau and Rodney Peete were also in this class. A residential college at USC is named in his honor, called Cowlings Residential College.

In 2012, a news report said that Cowlings was working as a handbag sales representative. In 2014, a former teammate told USA Today that Cowlings worked for B. Wayne Hughes, who started Public Storage. Six months later, USA Today reported that Cowlings had retired and was living in Southern California.

In 2016, an actor named Malcolm-Jamal Warner played Cowlings in the TV series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

See also

In Spanish: Al Cowlings para niños