CANTON, Ohio — It is perhaps one of– if not the most– controversial court case of the 20th century.
More than 20 years ago, O. J. Simpson was acquitted by a jury for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend.
But, there is one footnote to everything O.J.
Someone stole the bust of O.J. from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton on Sunday, July 23, 1995 during the height of the trial.
To this day, the person or people who did it have not been identified. It happened just as the museum was about to close.
There was construction going on as the hall was getting ready for Enshrinement Week. During that time, someone was able to pick up the 35-pound bust and walk out of the museum.
The next day, an ODOT crew found the bust 50 miles away near the East 30th Street off-ramp on I-77 southbound.
The bust was returned a few days later and put back on its pedestal. It’s in the museum today.
The theft prompted the hall to change up its security — bolting down all the busts, and grouping them by the year they were enshrined, instead of in nooks around the hall like they were in 1995.
