HENDERSON, Nev. — Jim Otto, the iconic Pro Football Hall of Fame center known for wearing the No. 00 jersey and anchoring the Oakland Raiders’ offensive line for 15 seasons, has passed away at the age of 86.
The Raiders, who relocated from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, announced Otto’s death on Sunday night, referring to him as “The Original Raider.” The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Otto was regarded as the premier center of his time, with many considering him the greatest ever. His career mantra was, “Never will they kick my butt,” a promise he fulfilled by never missing a game throughout his 15-year career. From the AFL’s inaugural season in 1960 through the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and up to his retirement after the 1974 season, Otto started 210 consecutive regular-season games and 223 games including playoffs. He earned 12 Pro Bowl selections and was named a first-team All-Pro 10 times.
In later years, Otto was affectionately known as “Pops” within the Raiders organization, a nickname he embraced. Some fans even suggested that his face should adorn the team’s eye-patch-wearing logo. Otto once joked, “But with a broken nose.”
Otto was the only player to be an All-AFL center for the entire duration of the league from 1960 to 1969 and one of just three players who participated in all 140 AFL regular-season games, alongside George Blanda and Gino Cappelletti.
“Playing football was always a serious proposition for me,” Otto reflected in 2021. “I aimed to put everyone on their backside and go home smiling with my wife. It was a tough game for me, and players like Ray Nitschke and I had great battles.”
Otto recounted his hardest hit from Nitschke in 1972, which resulted in a broken facemask, nose, cheekbone, and a detached retina, leaving him blind in one eye for six months. Despite the severe injuries and enduring 74 surgeries, over 20 concussions, and an above-the-knee amputation of his right leg in 2007 due to infections, Otto had no regrets. His autobiography, “The Pain of Glory,” chronicles his arduous journey.
“I know that I went to war and came out of the battle with what I got, and that’s the way it is,” Otto stated in PBS’s “Frontline” special “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis.”
Why did Jim Otto wear 00?
Otto wore No. 50 during his first season in Oakland before switching to 00, it was equipment manager Frank Hinek who proposed the idea of Otto wearing the number 00 for better recognition, as 0 was already taken by Johnny Olszewski in the NFL. Jim Otto accepted the suggestion, with approval from AFL Commissioner Joe Foss. He was a Pro Bowl selection for three years following the AFL-NFL merger. Throughout his career, the Raiders claimed seven division titles and won the AFL championship in 1967, later falling to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II.
After retiring as a player, Jim Otto returned to the Raiders’ front office, eventually serving as the team’s director of special projects. He played a key role in organizing reunions for former players, fan events, and negotiating the team’s move back to Oakland from Los Angeles before the 1995 season.
Jim Otto was present in the Raiders’ locker room celebrating their season-ending win over the Denver Broncos in January. Former Raiders All-Pro right tackle Lincoln Kennedy expressed admiration, saying, “Pops showed me what it meant to be a Raider. We’ve lost another part of the family.”
Three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby was among those who honored Otto’s legacy on social media.
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, Jim Otto was also named to the NFL 100 all-time team in 2019. At a Raiders reunion in 2009, Otto proudly revealed his black prosthetic leg adorned with the Raiders’ logo.
Where did Jim Otto go to college?
Otto grew up in Wausau, Wisconsin, attended the University of Miami, and excelled as a center and linebacker. Although undrafted by the NFL, he became a symbol of AFL offensive linemen and the Raiders’ spirit.
Who were in Jim Otto’s Family?
Otto is survived by his wife, Sally; his son, Jim; his daughter-in-law, Leah; and his 14 grandchildren, Alice, Sarah, Amy, Amanda, Josiah, Hannah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jennifer, Avery, Noah, Aiden, Roman, and Ellie.
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