'Anything AC Can Do, OJ Can Do Better': The Sad Story of Al Cowlings

Al Cowlings often didn’t have a name; he was just OJ Simpson’s right-hand man. He did most of the things that The Juice did, but with less success and no notoriety. 

Some (most) people perceive someone with a disposition like OJ Simpson’s to be similar to that of a narcissistic sociopath in theory. A person who has a disposition like that leaves a trail of people trampled underneath them that supported them to a fault.

People like that are usually very charismatic and alluring. They learn how to manipulate people to suit their own needs, all while wowing them with their superficial charm. And that’s not a knock against anyone like Al Cowlings or Robert Kardashian. No one is immune to the wily ways of a person with no conscience. They learn about us so they can hurt us. 

Despite being defined by his relationship with Simpson, AC is a person all his own. Let’s talk about him. 

All About Al Cowlings

Moreso, let’s discuss everything about how Al Cowlings is basically OJ Simpson.

Al (and OJ) was born in San Francisco. He (they) were born in 1947. Cowlings (and Simpson) attended Galileo High School. The budding athlete(s) attended the City College of San Francisco and USC.

Cowlings was drafted in the 1970 NFL draft, fifth overall (OJ was drafted 1st overall in 1969) by the Buffalo Bills.

At this point, the men’s paths changed.

Cowlings played for nine seasons in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball, playing for four different teams. He played for eight seasons with three different teams, took a year off with the CFL, and finished his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers.

In comparison, Simpson was in the league for 11 seasons with just two teams on the offensive side of the ball. He is also the one with NFL accolades like MVP and five-time pro-bowler.

Al Cowling’s Personal Life

Most of the things we know about Cowling’s personal life are tainted by OJ Simpson.

For example, OJ’s first wife, Marguerite Whitley, was AC’s high school girlfriend. In Simpson’s attempt to mediate the young couple’s relationship woes, he ended up being Mr. Steal Your Girl. 

This type of betrayal derailed the men’s relationship, but unfortunately for Al, not for ever. After OJ left his ex-girl, Cowlings was his groomsman at his and Nicole’s wedding. Al was also Orenthal’s and Marguerite’s son Jason’s godfather.

Most notably, the White Bronco that AC drove during the most epic (and slowest) car chase in American history was his own. Cowlings almost caught a conviction related to the whole incident, but he avoided it. He didn’t deserve any more punishment after having to be Orenthal’s friend.

All of the testimony AC had to provide in trials put salt in the wounds of his worst-picked friendship ever.

We won’t discuss his poorly executed acting career, so we won’t put any seasoning on any sore spots. It was just one more thing that Orenthal James did better. Ouch.

A Few Positives

Cowlings allegedly used to be a handbag sales rep, but rumor has it that he’s a retired man in Southern California. Something he can now enjoy without OJ Simpson. Although how much he can do is debatable, Simpson says AC deals with CTE symptoms. That wouldn’t be exactly surprising, considering Al’s prolonged football career. 

AC has kept his life low. We found out in 2016 that Cowlings has been a happily married man since 1993 with his former magazine model wife, Marion La Hood. It’s wonderful to know that he was able to find lasting love since the whole Whitley-Simpson debacle.

For other wonderful things, look at my collection of articles here.