Former Brown Jim Brown has been voted the greatest running back of all-time.

Again.

The voting this time was done recently by Pro Football Hall of Famer voters Clark Judge, Rick Gosselin and Rob Borges, along with pro football historian John Turney.

All four had Brown as the best back.

Finishing second in the voting was Barry Sanders, with Walter Payton third, Gale Sayers fourth and Emmitt Smith fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were, in order, O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Marshal Faulk, Earl Campbell and LaDainian Tomlinson.

That Brown was voted No. 1 is hardly a surprise. He’s had that distinction for years.

Nonetheless, it’s good to be reminded of that every once in a while. It’s been 52 years since Brown last played, and there are a lot of fans, media people, players and coaches who never saw him in action.

The films – most of them back and white – of Brown, as impressive as they are with him running past, through and over defenders, don’t really do him justice.

Neither do his eye-popping statistics, such as his 5.22-yards per carry average and 1,863 yards in a 14-game schedule in 1963, which appear as if they came from some video game.

No, what really clinches it for me – as if I really needed any convincing – is a quote from HOF middle linebacker Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles. With both the Browns and Eagles members of the Eastern Conference in the pre-merger NFL, the teams met twice each year and as such Bednarik saw a lot of Brown – more than he wanted, actually.

When asked one time about Brown, Bednarik said, “He’s the closest thing there’s ever been to Superman on a football field. He’s faster, stronger and more powerful than anyone else, and he’s nearly indestructible.”

And did we mention that Brown is also the best player ever at any position?