Al Cowlings

Allen G. Cowlings (born June 16, 1947 in San Francisco, California) is a retired American football player, known for his role in the saga of O.J. Simpson's murder trial. He played in the NFL between 1970 and 1979 for the Buffalo Bills, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers. Cowlings was taken 5th overall in the first round by the Buffalo Bills in the 1970 NFL Draft.

OJ Simpson case
Cowlings and Simpson were teammates at Galileo High School, San Francisco City College, USC, the Buffalo Bills, and the San Francisco 49ers; they eventually became close friends and confidantes. Cowlings is most famous for his role in Simpson's capture on June 17, 1994, after a low-speed chase by police on Los Angeles freeways, after the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman several days before. Cowlings claims that Simpson pointed a gun to his own head, demanding he be taken to his home or Simpson would kill himself. The slow-speed chase was televised on live TV from helicopter cameras, and it is estimated it was viewed by approximately 95 million people in the U.S. alone. Cowlings was the driver, Simpson his passenger, in a white 1993 Ford Bronco. During the chase, Cowlings famously told the police "My name is AC. You know who I am, God damn it." The chase ended at Simpson's mansion in Brentwood, where he then surrendered to police. Cowlings was charged with a felony for aiding a fugitive, and released with $250,000 bail. District Attorney Gil Garcetti said, however, that Cowlings would not be charged due to a lack of evidence.

Personal life
Cowlings is a member of the 2009 USC Athletic Hall of Fame class along with Junior Seau, Rodney Peete, and John Robinson.