Fifty-one years ago today, NFL legend Jim Brown announced his retirement to pursue a career as a movie actor. To put that in today’s terms (and we'll borrow from another sport) imagine if Stephen Curry did the same thing. Or if Odell Beckham Jr. put up seven more years of the numbers that he has posted so far and then suddenly called it quits.

Brown did the most in the least amount of time. He left with health intact and a legacy of being the best of the best. He led the NFL in rushing yards eight times in nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns and led the league in rushing touchdowns five times. He still ranks 10th all time in career rushing yardage (12,312) and fifth in rushing touchdowns (106).

At the time of his retirement, Brown had over 2,500 yards more than the player with the next-most (Joe Perry, 9,723) and 29 more touchdowns than Jim Taylor, who ranked second all time with 77.

Brown had seven seasons in which he averaged 100 rushing yards per game. Eric Dickerson ranks second with five. The only active player with two is Adrian Peterson.

Brown was also the first player to record multiple seasons with at least 17 rushing touchdowns. Four players have done it since then -- Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson, who have three apiece, and Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson, who each have two.

Brown had one of the most prolific final seasons in NFL history. In 1965, he rushed for 1,544 yards and tied a career-high with 17 rushing touchdowns. That stood as the most rushing yards for a player in his final season until Tiki Barber of the Giants broke it when he rushed for 1,662 yards in 2006.

In the nine years Brown played, the Browns went 79-34, won one title and lost another. The 1964 champion Browns were the last Cleveland major league sports team to win a title until the Cavaliers won the NBA title in 2016. The current Browns are 38-106 in the past nine seasons.