I don't know if it is directly connected to my brain, my issues, but I have problems with dizziness. Web Site Copyright 1995-2016 WGBH Educational Foundation Get hit in the head so hard your eyes were crossed? Looked like a raccoon. Bob Lilly, 37. He comes in like he's going to hit the man midsection, which there's no penalty for, and just as he hits coming in on the midsection, you'll see that ballplayer, the guy with the ball, drop his head. For the next fifteen years, Otto became a fixture at center for the Raiders, never missing a single game due to injury. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1970 and once knocked unconscious a fan who entered onto the playing field during a game. Garrison has also played through a separated shoulder, a severely broken nose and a broken collarbone. Minor injuries, therefore minor distractions, he called them. Jim Otto In one game, he knocked out the entire Washington Redskins backfield one by one. But a lot of guys no longer get the "Hey, Joe, how you doing. " George Trafton, Center, Chicago Bears (1920-1921, 1923-1932). Marsh says his current doctors have concluded that the bone in his ankle may have been broken in the training-camp incident. You seem completely with it and pulling up words and memories and having no problems at all. Greene was notorious for kicking a player when he was down and had to be ejected from a game in 1975 for repeatedly kicking a Cleveland Browns player in the groin. The former Titans star quarterback has injured nearly every part of his body at one time or another. Gary Fencik: I had the displeasure of tackling, by accident, Walter only once in my 12-year career. He underwent surgery to have 30 inches of his intestines removed, and returned for the second game of the season. Below is a look at some of Jim Ottos career accomplishments and highlights. I think I'm going and continuing to do the best I can with what I had, and I'm going to do that till I can't. Well, the results with myself, you know, has been very difficult. Otto James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a former center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. Jim Otto - Injuries and Surgeries | Injuries Surgeries Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris have served time on drug convictions. And I think it's very unfair. Now, I don't think that's fair. Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory Never misses a down. He was once the leagues iron man, but Ottos body is now a combination of plastic joints, flesh and screws. 15. 1 seed for Division 1 baseball playoffs, High school tennis: Southern Section playoff pairings, High school baseball: Southern Section playoff pairings, Dig this: Long Beach States Mason Briggs could be next big thing at libero. We invariably would attack a bunker from where the enemy is shooting machine guns. So I'm figuring now he's going to ask for the doctor, and he may have to go to the hospital because this thing could get infected, and he says, Give me some tape. So they throw him some tape and he just starts taping this huge ball. And it was about two days after the football game in high school my senior year. I can't really explain it to you here. Let them play it the way it's supposed to be played, the way the rules are, and don't keep changing the rules. I know that in my mind, in Jim Otto's mind -- and I'll be honest with you right now -- that thoughts of suicide have gone through my head at different times. And it bothers me. His joints are riddled with arthritis, and he has debilitating back and neck problems. You got hit in the head, and you had amnesia. Jim Otto. In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. This interview was conducted by FRONTLINEs Tom Jennings on Dec. 22, 2012. But a knee injury that was treated with repeated shots of cortisone and steroids forced him to end a 15-year playing career after 1973. I never went out of the game. 11. It's strange; it's really strange. Is Jim Otto in the Hall of Fame? I think if you were to look at me and evaluate me, it was a matter of pride. WebJim Otto was born in Wausau, WI. It's like cutting their leg off, let's say. I said why isn't there somebody taking care of him? And then in college, once again there was a period of time I didn't have a face mask, and I got hit in the head. I wanted to play well every week, no matter what, but in this game, we started out with Jim Carter in the middle. It came from the game. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. What's going on? FactSnippet No. Then we go back in. Walter Payton, Running Back, Chicago Bears (1975-1987). It came from the relations with the game, yes. As a show of respect, he always calls Raiders' owner Al Davis "Mr. Jim Otto He defined toughness as, more of a mental aspect than a physical power, saying, Toughness doesn't necessarily mean physical prowess; it's more mental., 3. Johnny Unitas, Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers & Baltimore Colts & San Diego Chargers (1956-1974). 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. Well, I'm very fortunate that I can do that, because there are times that I can't remember people's names. Otto now suffers from arthritis, and severe neck problems. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. This interview was conducted by FRONTLINEs Tom Jennings on Dec. 22, 2012. Damn fools. His claim to fame occurred in 1985 when his left pinkie was caught between the shoulder pads and helmet of Cowboys running back Timmy Newsome, shattering the bone. He played five more games before the loose bone mass was removed. Dobler punched Pittsburghs Mean Joe Greene in the solar plexus and kicked the Rams Merlin Olsen in the head. WebJim Otto is generally recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. Otto is also the subject of works by artist Matthew Barney.[3]. One contract can provide financial security for a lifetime. He gave the following advice to future Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey: Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts., 20. He has arthritis in his shoulders and neck. My first thoughts were, I got sick. In the 1973 regular season, Oakland scored 292 points (20.9 points/game), 10th of 26 teams in the NFL and avenged their defeat at the hands of the Steelers during the 1973-74 NFL playoffs before losing to the Dolphins. He became homeless, those stories. Why isn't there somebody that can help him? During his fifth training camp, he suffered the injury that ultimately led to amputation. His dedication and durability symbolized the teams Commitment to Excellence motto. History of the AFL 1960-69 | Jim Otto | SportsRaid - Medium It was really bad. The Pro Football Hall of Fame recently received new artifacts from Super Bowl LV. He's beating people with it. He went down, then got up and trotted off the field. But in this particular case, it was pretty good blows he was hitting me with to break my nose, break my cheekbone and my zygomatic arch bone up here. Former Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, whose gambling addiction led to two NFL suspensions in the early 1980s, was charged with bouncing or stealing more than $400,000 in checks this year. Kilroy denied the charge. In the Eagles' next game, against the Giants, McDonald caught three touchdowns and returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. 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. We're going to get a broken leg, a broken shoulder or something, but I'm going to hit you like nobody else. He liked to think that his best hits border on felonious assault., 14. He has played through numerous injuries such as a separated right clavicle, an infected right shoulder, a dislocated ring finger on his right hand, torn cartilage in his right knee, a strained calf, a hip pointer, a ruptured disk, back spasms, strained rib cartilage, severely bruised ribs, a left knee sprain, an MCL sprain, a left ankle sprain, severe turf toe, a cracked bone spur in his left ankle, a bone spur in his toe, and a severely bruised sternum. He was middle linebacker for the Packers. He dragged Ronnie Lott twenty yards. So it was probably a frontal type of concussion, I don't know. Wausau High School and University of Miami, American Football League All-Star players, American Football League All-League players, http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/U/UpshGe00.htm, Hall of Famer Jim Otto recovering after having right leg amputated, Jim Otto profile at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 10 All-AFL selection (1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969). Sam Huff, Linebacker, New York Giants & Washington Redskins (1956-1969), A pro football linebacker is just naturally tough. I look at Dave Dalby, because he used to tell me he wanted to follow me in my footsteps. WebThe official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. I think what they're doing, they're going to cost so much money that the owners and high schools won't be able to afford the insurance for the game and stuff like that. I don't want to make an excuse. Plasman refused to wear a helmet. Doesn't say anything. In 1990, four players were suspended. The highs an athlete gets from the highly selective field makes it hard for them to settle into another pursuit. Counting preseason, postseason and Pro Bowl games, that number swells to 308 consecutive games played, with rarely a missed practice, either. Well, football today is still very tough, but I think in the day that I played and several other players that are my vintage will concur that it was a battle out there; it was a war. He was issued jersey number 50 for the AFL's inaugural season, 1960, but switched to his familiar 00 the next season. Teammate Charlie Waters recalls the time that Garrison accidentally cut his thumb with a knife so that it was dangling from his hand. Doctors can pressure players who dont think they will ever get hurt or the ones who think they have only a few years left to make money.. Jim Otto Jim Otto If they enjoy hitting somebody, let them hit people; let them play football. As a 248-pound defensive end, he played in 282 consecutive games.