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Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as “Mr. Raider” for his durability through a litany of injuries, has died, the team confirmed Sunday night. He was 86.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
“The Original Raider,” the club said in a statement posted on the social platform X. “The personification of consistency, Jim’s influence on the American Football League and professional football as a whole cannot be overstated. His leadership and tenacity were a hallmark of the dominant Raider teams of the 1960s and 70s.”
Otto remained involved with the Raiders even after they moved to Las Vegas in 2020. He was among several players from the club’s past who were in the locker room following the Raiders’ 27-14 season-ending victory over the Denver Broncos in January.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby posted on X that Otto was an “absolute legend & incredible person.”
Otto joined the Raiders for their inaugural season in the American Football League in 1960 and was a fixture on the team for the next 15 years.
He never missed a game because of injuries, competing in 210 consecutive regular-season games and 308 straight total contests despite undergoing nine operations on his knees during his playing career. His right leg was amputated in 2007.
“He’s a warrior,” former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon once said. “When you think of the old-time, tough Raider, you think of Jim Otto.”
Otto was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and is considered one of the AFL’s all-time greats.
“Jim Otto personified the aura and mystique of the Raiders,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “He was ‘The Original Raider,’ leading a new franchise from its inception into its first run of glory years from the late 1960s into the 1970s. His legendary reliability — with 210 consecutive starts in the AFL and NFL — and the accolades he acquired serve as a testament to his dedication to the organization and the game.”
Otto was believed to have…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/jim-otto-mr-raider-and-pro-football-hall-of-famer-dies-at-86
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Publish date : 2024-05-20 16:07:09
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