He was issued jersey number 50 for the AFL's inaugural season, 1960, but switched to his familiar 00 the next season. Players rarely give much thought to life after football. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Charlie Krueger was a tough guy. But in my heart, I'm leaning to very possibly doing it, donating my brain, because if there is something there that can help others, that's what I should be doing. The origin of the since-outlawed helmet-to-helmet hit is sometimes traced to Brown. Anything loosea knee pad, a shoe, a chin strapwould be ripped off by a Butkus tackle. Hardy Brown, Linebacker, Brooklyn Dodgers & Chicago Hornets & Baltimore Colts & Washington Redskins & San Francisco 49ers & Chicago Cardinals & Denver Broncos (1948-1956, 1960). Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory Marsh took more than 100 painkilling injections from the Raiders and continued to play, which only made his condition worse. Team doctors injected his knees with cortisone and other high-powered drugs in 1972 and 1973, causing permanent damage, he said. I'm telling you about it right now: I hurt. I love everybody, and I love to know them; I love to remember their names, but sometimes if I can't remember a name, I'm not going to fret over it and get upset. Is he in the Hall of Fame? Jim Otto played before my time as a fan but I know his name and looked forward to reading his story. He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films, once stated, There are so many definitions of toughness. He soon was established as the Raiders center. Jim Otto, Center, Oakland Raiders (1960-1974), Otto played fifteen seasons and never missed a game, despite 10 broken noses and over 40 back, knee, and shoulder operations, including 28 to his knees alone. Going across the middle against Dick Butkus was considered attempted suicide. And --. 40. 16. His right leg was eventually amputated in It has been 20 years since Otto retired after a Hall of Fame career. The desire of Ray Lewis to be the greatest linebacker in NFL history is fueled by an inner toughness that manifests itself on the football field. He got beat up so bad in his early years. He had his right leg amputated in 2007. How tall is Jim Otto? A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? But Jim suffered greatly for that glory. But you're talking about a different kind, the much more common, everyday, every play? I haven't necessarily told them what I'm thinking. Thats why I think Id come back and do it again.. Its an orthopedics surgeons dream. One time, Otto nearly died on the operating table. Otto paid the price, as he has had 74 surgeries, including 28 knee operations, and in 2007 his lower right leg had to be amputated but has said that he And playing with concussions, playing with other problems that we did play with, never coming off the field --. Numerous accolades for Jim support Maddens widely shared opinion of the 15-year pro as the best to play his position: 10 first-team All-Pro selections, 12 Pro Bowl appearances and spots on the AFL Hall of Fame All-1960s Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Stillwell, who played only three seasons with the Bears, walks with a cane. I wanted to help Dave Dalby and Sally did to because we loved him and I didn't see that happening in Pittsburgh with Mike Webster. Dick Plasman, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears & Chicago Cardinals (1937-1947). Are you saying that even if you had the information you would have played? When other coaches started seeing what a guy that size could do, they all wanted monster players with speed. The FRONTLINE Interview: Jim Otto | League of Denial: The NFL's FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Jim Otto Age, Bio, Personal Life, Family & Stats - CelebsAges According to several experts, the emphasis on size in the mid-1980s led to a peak use of steroids, which increase strength, muscle definition and aggressiveness. I don't make want to make excuses. And it's a good hit. Raider," Jim Otto - Sports His first words: Did we score? Believe it or not, Plasman suffered from blindness and post-concussion syndrome until his death at age 67 in 1981. What about when you heard about Mike Webster's decline afterward, you know? No. I'm sure he would. Lewis is one of the greatest playmakers and natural team leaders the game has ever seen. And sure, this hurts, but, you know -- and it can hurt somebody, but I don't think a guy should get fined for doing something he was taught to do all through high school, in college and now in the pros. Let me ask you. Favre has started 287 consecutive games, including the postseason, an all-time record for a quarterback. He maintained his streak despite pneumonia, an ulcer, and a shotgun wound to the side. We'd attack the bunker, and the quarterbacks would be sitting in a tank with the general saying, 'Well, what kind of attack are you planning?' Once you leave the game, people forget about you quite quickly, said Drew Pearson, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver. Five years later, in 2002, Otto was stricken with prostate cancer, though the cancer is currently in remission. New Columns From Your Class Correspondents - Cornellians Unitas also has an artificial knee and will have a hip replacement soon. Minor injuries, therefore minor distractions, he called them. Teammate Hugh Gallarneau claims that, He had a piece of cement for a head. He once dove into a brick wall attempting to catch a pass, busted open his head, and was carried off semiconscious. It was 1st and 10, and they gave the ball to Nagurski up the middle. There's the toughness of getting the snot knocked out of you, and the can't-be-intimidated, never-quit kind of tough. It's a tough sport. I'm over here, I had a couple dozen concussions or more, and I hurt. Ernie Stautner, Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers (1950-1963). I've had amnesia like that. Csonka was a bull in a china shop. Ronnie Lott was a cornerback who hit like a linebacker. Maybe probably more so in my life is the pain that I'm going through. Does that take a certain temperament? I am really sore, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to take care of that. I wanted people to respect me.. This is FRONTLINE's old website. But has it always been one of those things that's been in there that players have known about other players? Within 12 plays, Trafton had knocked each player out of the game, sending one of them to the hospital with a broken hand and an 11-inch cut across the forehead. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. And then you have a guy like Junior Seau come along this last year. In 1972, he thought he broke his back on a hit by a Minnesota Vikings linebacker, so he crawled off the field. Its like someone putting your body on I-695 at 6 p.m. and letting it get bounced around by the traffic.. Nagurski once knocked unconscious four would-be tacklers on a kickoff return touchdown in his rookie season. WebInjuries and surgeries. I would say that suicide has been in the past one of the least spoken about things among players, among owners, among the NFL of anything. Hell no, I wouldnt do it all over again, said Krueger. Yeah. And that's what I'm doing. So there's different degrees of concussions; I want you to know that. The NFLPA report found that of the players leaving the game because of injury, 70.6% had emotional problems some time during the sixth-month transition period after football. Gary Fencik: I had the displeasure of tackling, by accident, Walter only once in my 12-year career. I mean, like that disease CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] --. And from what I understand and read -- never met him -- it does sound like he played that game exactly like you described. They blame these problems for failed relationships, unemployment and drug or alcohol addictions. Jim Otto was a Raiders ironman - Las Vegas Review-Journal I mean, in the line it's war. I don't know anything that much about Junior. Steve Sabol had the following to say about Butkus: His career stands as the most sustained work of devastation ever committed on any field of sport, anywhere, any time., Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Players are bigger now. His last game, up in Cleveland, he came out of the hospital to play with a broken rib, a punctured lung, and pneumonia. Is Jim Otto in the Hall of Fame? In 1997, he spit in the face of wide receiver JJ Stokes. In addition to playing offensive center at UM, he also played linebacker on defense. Bronko Nagurski, Running Back, Chicago Bears (1930-1937, 1943), As Giants linebacker Johnny Dell Isola said during their playing days years ago, I had heard a lot about him, but I thought most of it was exaggerated. The Baltimore Ravens placed a bounty on Ward, to which the former Super Bowl MVP responded, Bring it on. He was voted the smartest offensive player in the NFL (non-quarterbacks) and is considered the best blocking receiver in the NFL. When Giants defensive tackle Jim Pietrzak wished him good luck in the playoffs, he punched him. He then went on to play collegiate football at Miami. He retired from the Arena Football League in 1992. I'm not complaining about it. Mr. Did you ever have that happen to you? For 19 straight seasons. Butkus was a turnover machine and earned eight Pro Bowl selections in his nine seasons. James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a former center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. He went down, then got up and trotted off the field. Jim Otto starred for the Oakland Raiders, but his roots were in Wausau, Wisconsin. Jim Otto is 6-2 (188 cm) tall. Journalistic Guidelines Jim Otto, center for the Oakland Raiders, poses on Aug. 15, 1970. Contact FRONTLINE Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory - Jim Otto, Dave Newhouse - Google There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. Since 1995, Otto has worked for the Raiders in the department of special projects and is active in the business world. Jim Strub wrote from a mountainside in Colorado. He owned numerous Burger King Restaurants near Sacramento, California until the early 1990s. Well, in being taught to lead with your head and shoulders to make a tackle, and basically place your head to where it's going to hit the ball, because you get some good fumbles that way when you tackle and place your head and shoulders to where you're going to hit the side where he's carrying the ball. The young people that are coming out and playing football today, I want them to continue to play football; I want them to have fun playing football. Two years later Unitas played the entire season with a broken vertebrae. And it was about two days after the football game in high school my senior year. NAPA, Calif. -- Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. WebBut Jim, remembering that his college injuries had all come when he was on defense, chose to let down a little during defensive tryouts and then really go all out when it came time for offensive team trials. , 39. The first time in high school, I can't really remember anything other than coming out of amnesia and thinking, where have I been? Jim Otto Jim Otto It just -- you know, maybe I choked a little bit and thought, oh, boy, I used to do that. He suffered a cracked vertebra, a concussion, and crushed intestines during a car crash before his senior year of college. He liked to think that his best hits border on felonious assault., 14. Favre has played through unbelievable injuries, including a broken and sprained thumb on his right hand, a badly sprained left ankle, a sprained left foot, a sprained left knee, a torn ligament in his left knee, a severely bruised left hip, and a separated left shoulder. Well, I'm trying in my mind not to relate that to my situation, you know. 12x Well, as you know, it didnt get better. He thanked me for continuing the column for so long and was grateful that so many of us were still sentient enough to read it. In a playoff game in 1970, Garrison broke three ribs in the first quarter and continued playing after he was carried off the field. He also had a ramp to enter the bathtub. What is the result exactly? Thats when doctors operated on his back for 11 1/2 hours to remove scar tissue and insert rods, screws and ties so he could walk again. He finally returned after a three-year absence. I think so. And a lot of times these guys fall into that category or one of those categories, and it happens that they commit suicide. No matter how many passes youve caught or touchdowns youve thrown, thats nice, but it doesnt mean anything in the real world., The transition period isnt always smooth, said Yaras-Davis, noting that the average career of a player is less than four years. He spent the week prior to a game building up his hatred over the opponent. The doctors have led me to believe that yes indeed, due to using my head and the number of concussions I have had, taken me down this road to where I do have some problems with memory [and] that I will have more, but I'm not worried about it. He takes his thumb in his hand and wrenches it down into his fist. WebJim Otto was born in Wausau, WI. The Rock Island fans were so angered that a rock-throwing mob chased him from the field. He was also named the starting center on the AFL All-Time Team. Before his death in 1992, Raiders defensive lineman Lyle Alzado said long-term steroid use was the cause of the brain tumor that eventually killed him. There is a new level of information, and they've done some good studies on it, which are very important. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. Larry Wilson, Safety, St. Louis Cardinals (1960-1972), Larry Wilson is best known for inventing the safety blitz. He ran 32 times for 168 yards and caught 10 balls for 61 yards. How much did Jim Otto weigh when playing? But I'll tell you whathe had more knockouts than any of us. Brown fractured the face of an Eagles running back, broke another players vertebrae, and knocked a Steelers running backs eye out of its socket. But no, amnesia, it's a serious thing. Grasping lifes highs and lows for Jim Otto his excellence on the football field and the lifelong physical toll achieving that excellence extracted requires little more than reading the first few pages of his aptly titled autobiography, The Pain of Glory.. I was depressed because I wasn't running out on the field anymore, when they announced "At center, Jim Otto." He has had two major back surgeries, 16 knee operations and five artificial knees. In 1958, with three broken ribs and a punctured lung, he led the Colts to the NFL title while wearing a protective harness. He played three games with a fractured tibia. With the Raiders, he won 1 AFL/AFC championship in 1967 against the Houston Oilers, but lost 5: in 1968, 1969, and 1970, 1973, and 1974 to the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively, all 5 teams winning the Super Bowl of their respective years, playing alongside Gene Upshaw, a Hall-of-Famer, at left guard from 1967 until Otto's final year in 1974. And I wanted to be a help to David. And even in soccer, you have problems with your head hitting the ball, two heads coming together or whatever. So when you retire from football and you've been involved in football, some kids -- it never happened to me. 24. It was the first injury that he had suffered and he would never participate in another snap. I wanted to play. About FRONTLINE Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. As a rookie in 1920, he angered the Rock Island Independents so bad that they sent four players into the game on a mission to destroy Trafton. I bit his ear. Kilroy, who played back in the days when offensive linemen weren't allowed to extend their arms to block, was considered the dirtiest player in the NFL, and he helped Philadelphia win back-to-back NFL championships. It's strange; it's really strange. And if you cant take the injuries, get the hell out. League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis, New: 87 Deceased NFL Players Test Positive for Brain Disease, Study of Former NFL Players Shows Risks for Brain from Youth Football, NFL Concussion Settlement Wins Final Approval from Judge, In Fight Against ISIS, a Lose-Lose Scenario Poses Challenge for West. Walt Garrison, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys (1966-1974). Otto punished his body greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 40 surgeries, including 28 knee operations (nine of them during his playing career alone) and multiple joint replacements. Hein played fifteen seasons with the Giants and never missed a play. They do it now, which is good. I can't really explain it to you here. According to the latest NFLPA survey, conducted in 1990, more than one-third of 645 players whose careers began as early as 1940 and ended no later than 1986 retired because of disabling injuries. When asked why he played through the pain, instead of watching from the sidelines, Smith calmly responded, This is why they pay me., 19. Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory And that's the way we played. Im not out for revenge or anything, but I do think they took advantage of my loyalty.. What's going on? To break a helmet, split it right here in front, to have it then break your nose and the face mask that you have there, so --. Thats when doctors operated on his back for 11 1/2 hours to remove scar tissue and Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris have served time on drug convictions. Back then, owners would do anything to maximize their payrolls to win the war games. Injuries and operations During one six-month stretch, he was without a right knee joint because he had to wait for an infection to heal before another artificial knee could be implanted. Runyan has started 180 consecutive games at right tackle, and has played in the postseason on seven occasions. Injuries and Surgeries Otto punished his body greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 40 surgeries, including 28 knee operations (nine of them during his Bleier eventually played on four Super Bowl championships and earned a reputation as both a fearsome blocker and a powerful runner.

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