LAS VEGAS -- O.J. Simpson's story represents one of the most dramatic falls from grace in the history of American pop culture.
PHOTOS: The rise and fall of OJ Simpson
A beloved football hero in the 1960s and '70s, he transitioned effortlessly to movie star, sports commentator and TV pitchman in the years that followed.
He kept that role until the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend. A jury acquitted him, but many still believe he carried out the grisly slayings.
Simpson, now 70, has been imprisoned in Nevada for armed robbery and faces a parole hearing Thursday.
Here's a timeline of major events in the life of Simpson:
1968 - O.J. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy while playing football for University of Southern California
1969 - Simpson drafted by NFL, demanding what was then the largest contract in professional sports history
1969-1979 - Simpson played for NFL as running back for Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers
1977 - 1994 - Simpson worked as an actor and football commentator
1985 - Simpson inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
June 12, 1994 - Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson was found stabbed to death, along with her friend Ron Goldman
June 17, 1994 - Simpson arrested following low-speed pursuit in white Ford Bronco
October 5, 1995 - Simpson was acquitted for the murders after the 'Trial of the Century'
1997 - Civil court awarded victims' families $33.5 million wrongful death judgment against Simpson
September 2007 - Simpson arrested in Las Vegas when sports memorabilia was stolen at gunpoint in casino hotel room
December 2008 - Simpson convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, and sentenced to 33 years in prison
July 2017 - After 9 years at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, Simpson becomes eligible for his first parole hearing
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.