AFL/NFL legend and Hall of Famer Jim Otto has passed away at age 86. He’s survived by his wife, his son, and his 14 grandchildren.
Jim Otto was known as “Mr. Raider” and “The Original Raider” because he was one of the first members of the organization in 1960. He also played 15 seasons for the “Silver and Black” and didn’t miss a single snap from 1960-1975. He predated Al Davis by three years and even wore the original black and gold Raiders uniforms from the 1960-62 seasons.
Jim Otto was one of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of football. He was as well known for his partly destroyed playing helmet as he was for wearing the distinctive numbers of double zero. He was one of the toughest players to ever step foot on the football field, famously having 74 knee operations until one leg was replaced with a Raiders logo at the knee.
Off the field, Otto was one of the kindest men you could meet. In Oakland and Los Angeles, he was often seen at Raiders games sitting with legendary owner Al Davis. He was beloved by every fan he ever met and the players he played with and against.
Jim Otto: The Original Raider
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When Jim Otto came onto the professional football scene out of Miami in 1960, he didn’t garner much interest. He wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft but was selected by the Minnesota franchise in the American Football League Draft. After the owners of Minnesota took an offer from the NFL and bolted, the franchise was moved to Oakland under new ownership.
Otto took the first snap for the organization in their first game of existence in 1960 and played every single snap of every single game, in total playing 210 consecutive games in a row. He was the first Raider to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well in the class of 1980. Whether they were in Oakland, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas,
Jim Otto played in 12 All-Star/Pro Bowl Games in his career and was part of the first Raiders team to make the Super Bowl in 1967. Despite playing one of the most unglamorous positions in sports, he became one of the most recognizable faces. “Double O” was one of the names you thought of when it came to the Oakland Raiders in their heyday.
Otto also formed one of the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history. The Raiders in the early to mid-70s had an offensive line that featured Otto, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Ron Mix, and Bob Brown. Each of these gentlemen is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Nobody Epitomized the Raiders More
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Mark Davis lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch in honor of Otto after his passing on the 19th. When considering the Raiders in any of their three locations, nobody epitomized what it meant to be a Raider more than Jim Otto. As the team gears up for another season, it’s impossible not to feel as though this season has even more meaning after the passing of a legend.
“The Original Raider” once recounted in a famous clip with NFL Films all of the damage that his body had endured over his NFL career. He said he wouldn’t change a thing and had no regrets. Despite everything that he went through, he endured and he dominated.
Otto was fortunate to play alongside countless Hall of Famers like Fred Bilentnikoff, Cliff Branch, Willie Brown, and George Blanda. He snapped the football for every Raiders quarterback from Tom Flores and Cotton Davidson, to Daryle Lamonica and Ken Stabler. He was coached by Hall of Famers Al Davis and John Madden and created a legacy like no other.
The world is a lot emptier without Jim Otto in it. But he lived his life to the fullest. To the very end of his life, he truly was “Mr. Raider.”
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