Jim Otto, nicknamed “Mr. Raider” due to his legendary career and countless contributions to the Oakland Raiders, has died at 86 years old.
Mr. Otto played center for the Raiders from the franchise’s inception in 1960 through 1974, a span in which the team played in Oakland, Calif. Mr. Otto was either a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro in every season from 1960–72, and he never missed a game during his 15-year career. His 210 consecutive regular-season starts, as well as his 223 straight starts including post-season games, were both all-time NFL records at the time of his retirement. Both achievements still rank third amongst offensive linemen in NFL history.
A 12-time Pro Bowler, Mr. Otto was also a 10-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro, which is tied with wide receiver Jerry Rice for the most ever for any player at any position. Mr. Otto was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980.
Raiders owner Mark Davis lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch at the team’s home venue of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in honor of Mr. Otto, and the team released a statement in memoriam of the player known as “The Original Raider.”
Mr. Otto wore No. 00 through most of his career, which was a play on his name, and he remains the last Raider to wear that number. His time with the franchise coincided with one of its most successful runs as the Raiders won 124 regular-season games from 1960–74, which trailed only the Cleveland Browns (129) and Green Bay Packers (127) over that span. The Raiders also won six post-season games during that timeframe, which was tied for the fourth-most, and that includes Mr. Otto’s lone championship in the AFL in 1967. He spent the last eight years of his career sharing the offensive line with two other Hall of Famers, left tackle Art Shell and left guard Gene Upshaw.
“Well, the results with myself, you know, [have] been very difficult. I’ve had 74 surgeries all told throughout my body, all over my body,” Mr. Otto revealed. “I’ve had various different cognitive tests regarding my brain. I’ve had scans of my brain, and it’s been explained to me what is really wrong with my brain. I can’t really explain it to you here. If I had a graph I could show you it. But I’m still going at my age.”
Born in Wausau, Wis., Mr. Otto attended the University of Miami, where he was a two-way star, playing center on offense and linebacker on defense. He was the first former Miami Hurricanes player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the school now has 11 Hall of Famers, trailing only Notre Dame (14) and Southern California (14). He was also inducted into Miami’s Hall of Fame in 1972 and was just one of four centers to be named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019, which honored the greatest players in the first 100 years of the league.
Even after his playing days were over, Mr. Otto remained affiliated with the only franchise he ever played for. He most recently served as director of special projects for the Raiders, assisting in various areas, including helping with team reunions and also making special appearances on behalf of the organization.
Mr. Otto’s legacy was best summed up by the late John Madden, the Hall of Fame Raiders coach who reached new legions of fans through his Madden video game and through broadcasting. He was Mr. Otto’s head coach on the Raiders for six years, and as a former offensive lineman himself, Mr. Madden knew the intricacies of the role more than anyone else. In Mr. Otto’s autobiography “Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory,” he selected Mr. Madden to write the foreword.
“If someone came from another planet and wanted to know what a football player looked like, you’d show him a poster of Jim Otto,” Mr. Madden wrote.
