Longtime Raiders center and Hall of Famer Jim Otto died Sunday, the team announced.
He was 86 years old.
Otto, who was one of the last players in the league to wear jersey number 00, spent 15 years as a center for the Raiders in the 1960s and 1970s. The team described him as “the original Raider.”
“’00’ was the cornerstone of a transcendent offensive line that not only propelled the Raiders to success on the field but resonated with fans and helped build the personality and mystique of the Raiders,” the team said in a statement. communicated, in part.
Otto spent his entire career with the Raiders, who selected him in the new AFL Draft in 1960 in their first year of existence. He played non-stop for the Raiders throughout his career, and was one of three players to play in a possible 140 regular-season AFL games before the league folded and merged with the NFL. He did not miss a single game in his 15 seasons in the league and appeared in an incredible 210 consecutive games before retiring after the 1974 season. Otto won the AFL title in 1967 and played in six games for the AFL or AFC title with the team.
“I’ve often considered being a football player to be a gladiator,” Otto told Bleacher Report in 2009, . “There’s something inside you that says, ‘I want to go out and prove myself.’ Most of the time you get injured. That’s the life you choose. Some people need a challenge in life and playing hockey or soccer was the one.” way I was able to prove myself.
After retiring, Otto spent time working in the Raiders’ front office and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, the first year he was eligible. He also had several health problems after his playing career. He had to undergo more than 70 surgeries, according to ESPN, and had his right leg amputated in 2007.
Otto, who was from Wausau, Wisconsin, was a two-way player at the University of Miami, where he played center and linebacker.
