KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — O.J. Simpson was a Heisman trophy winner, an NFL MVP, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Simpson died on April 10, 2024, at the age of 76.
Though he had many accolades on the football field, it was his trial in the mid-90s that brought our country to a standstill.
On June 17, 1994, the world watched as a white Ford Bronco led police on a chase lasting 90 minutes. Inside the vehicle was O.J. Simpson, wanted for double murder. He negotiated his surrender and was put on trial.
Beginning on January 24, 1995, eyes were glued to TV screens around the clock as the trial played out. On October 3, the verdict was set to drop.
Across Knoxville, people in restaurants, stores and even schools waited with bated breath for the decision.
“We the jury of the above-entitled action find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson not guilty," the jury said.
Reactions ranged from delight to disbelief.
“I felt that it was correct. One hundred percent. I am happy with the outcome of the case,” said a University of Tennessee law student.
Other students felt the opposite.
“The fundamental principle of our judicial system is that we would rather let a guilty man go free than an innocent man be put in jail,” said a student who disagreed with the verdict.
23 years later, the white Bronco that captured the imagination of the country became an exhibit at the Alcatraz East Museum in Pigeon Forge.
“We all remember exactly where we were when it happened. So, when I see something like this, that’s what I think of. I think of everyone just stopping everything they’re doing, and homing in on their TV to see something occur,” said Summer Blalock, manager of the Alcatraz East Museum.
Two years after the Bronco’s unveiling, Alcatraz opened a temporary exhibit called, “Passion for Life: Nicole Brown Simpson” on what would be her 60th birthday and the 25th anniversary of her murder.
“When people think about Nicole, they think about what happened with her death, and the trial and the sensationalism. We didn’t want to get into all that, because that’s not who she was as a person. So, we wanted to think things back to her life, focus on who she was as a mother, a daughter, a sister and what she was really passionate about,” said Rachel Penman, Curator of Alcatraz East.
The Bronco remains on display at Alcatraz and serves as a reminder of a moment in time etched into the history of America.
Coming up later this year, Alcatraz East has plans for the 30th anniversary of the chase.