Chuck Bednarik, Center & Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles (1949-1962), The greatest collision of all time was Bednarik hitting Gifford. There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. Why? Nothing dirty about it. Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (1996-present). He led the Eagles to championships in 1949 and 1960. You got hit in the head, and you had amnesia. To this day, Otto embodies the toughness and determination the Raiders began to ferment in the mid-1960s, after Al Davis took control of the team and later hired John Madden as head coach. The highs an athlete gets from the highly selective field makes it hard for them to settle into another pursuit. 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 Injuries and operations. Otto's body was punished greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 74 operations, including 28 on his knee (nine of them during his playing career) and multiple joint replacements. His joints became riddled with arthritis, and he developed debilitating back and neck problems. I've had over 20 concussions myself, and I don't like them. He was issued jersey number 50 for the AFL's inaugural season, 1960, but switched to his familiar 00 the next season. And I think if you were to evaluate Mike Webster, it was a matter of pride. WebJim Otto (born January 10, 1992) is a retired American football Offensive Tackle. Jerry Kramer, Guard & Kicker, Green Bay Packers (1958-1968), Kramer endured 23 operations and required over 500 stitches in his NFL career, including a colostomy, which he described as a horror movie that hasn't been made yet., 26. Otto worked diligently to build his body up to his playing weight of 250 pounds. Ever since the NFL began random drug testing in 1990, the consensus among players, coaches and team medical personnel is that steroid use has dropped significantly. In other words, using NFL players as an example and their brains to help research with regards to the injuries that happen on the field, I don't think it's hogwash. WebJim Otto is generally recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. I was at a gathering in August, I guess it was, and Jim Brown was there, and he was saying the same thing, that it was different back then. His last game, up in Cleveland, he came out of the hospital to play with a broken rib, a punctured lung, and pneumonia. But pro football is a brutal game, a sport that long has glorified pain and punishment. 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.. You're taught to lead with your head. But in the final five years he began to suffer But many former players are experiencing health problems after the spotlight dims, the celebrity fades and they cease to be larger than life. I think I'm just kind of touchy about thinking that my body is going to be separated from something and probably not in the same grave, maybe that's what I'm thinking of. When Giants defensive tackle Jim Pietrzak wished him good luck in the playoffs, he punched him. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. One of pro footballs legendary ironmen, Jim played in 210 consecutive regular-season games from his rookie-season opener to the final game of his last season. 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. 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. 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?' Jim Otto starred for the Oakland Raiders, but his roots were in Wausau, Wisconsin. Let me ask you. Walter Payton, Running Back, Chicago Bears (1975-1987). I wanted to play. 38. This interview was conducted by FRONTLINEs Tom Jennings on Dec. 22, 2012. The psychological high and its addiction is parallel to people who become addicted to cocaine or a smoker who has a dependency on cigarettes. Jack Youngblood, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams (1971-1984). I don't know what they were taking. In a playoff game in 1970, Garrison broke three ribs in the first quarter and continued playing after he was carried off the field. In 1995, Nagurski was honored when the Football Writers Association of America voted to have his name attached to college footballs Defensive Player of the Year trophy. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? The 2003 NFL MVP, McNair has never missed a playoff start and led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 1999. For the next fifteen years, Otto became a fixture at center for the Raiders, never missing a single game due to injury. We havent seen the worst yet.. And everything is actually true to my heart, to my mind. It's a tough sport. And you couldn't remember. Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. Davis.". And boy, the rest of the day was hell for me. The ironic part? The origin of the since-outlawed helmet-to-helmet hit is sometimes traced to Brown. Jim Otto was elected into the Hall of Fame as a Player in 1980. But a lot of guys no longer get the "Hey, Joe, how you doing. " But has suicide and those kind of mental traumas, extreme points like a suicide, has that always been a feature that you've known about that's been kind of the chatter of the backroom [among] players? 1952. The former Titans star quarterback has injured nearly every part of his body at one time or another. I'm going to meet you someplace in there, and maybe one of us is going to lose a leg. 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. Now, the tackler is fined $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, whatever it is for a blow to the head. Ernie Stautner, Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers (1950-1963). He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. Well, a huge hole opened, and I saw him coming. 18. Associated With We'd go hunting together; we did a lot of different things together, Dave and I. Jim Marshall, Defensive End, Minnesota Vikings (1960-1979). Wilson intercepted 52 passes in his career, but the one that stands out is the 91-yard interception touchdown from 1965a pass he intercepted despite casts on both of his broken hands. But has it always been one of those things that's been in there that players have known about other players? I don't know anything that much about Junior. 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. WebIn addition to his football injuries, Otto also had two strokes, three heart attacks, and diabetes which caused blindness in one eye. So it was probably a frontal type of concussion, I don't know. 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 was hitting him with such force, and he was coming at me with such force that this is what happened. So when you retire from football and you've been involved in football, some kids -- it never happened to me. A Jim Otto is doing this every play. Former Chicago Bears tight end and head coach Mike Ditka waddles like a wooden toy soldier because of an artificial hip. Bleier eventually played on four Super Bowl championships and earned a reputation as both a fearsome blocker and a powerful runner. 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. In 1997, Otto's daughter, Jennifer, a 39-year-old mother of four, died from a blood clot. During one game in 1970, a piece of Kruegers knee was broken off, but he was given codeine and put back in to play. Right. And I'm sure there's a lot of studies going on with regard to what was going on with him prior to this. As the size increases, so does the force of the collisions. I was happy for him. He counts three near-death experiences directly related to infections or septic shock from football-related surgeries. I guess I hit someone pretty hard, and we didn't have any masks, and I got hit in the face. And that is the bad thing. Johnny Unitas, Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers & Baltimore Colts & San Diego Chargers (1956-1974). I'm going to be just like you, Pops." And then there's the players below who contain all of these qualities. Two years ago, Detroit Lions guard Mike Utley took a hit and suffered severe spinal damage, leaving him nearly a quadriplegic. It has been 20 years since Otto retired after a Hall of Fame career. Do you associate Dalby and Webster's post-career declines and troubles with the hard-hitting nature of the game? 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. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. His right leg was eventually amputated in 2007. He won eight rushing titles before abruptly retiring at the age of 30. He was a football and ice hockey star at Wausau High and had no knee trouble, although he says he did play a season on a severely injured ankle. 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. Over the course of his career, Jim The scouts also found out that Otto had suffered some shoulder injuries, and that Otto loved the contact that football provided and destroyed anyone on the opposing team looking to get past him. Oftentimes you'll see the contact where a tackler will tackle a runner or the quarterback, and right away they flag him, and it's going to cost them $20,000, $50,000, whatever it is for that hit. I know that I went to war, and I came out of the battle with what I got, and that's the way it is. Could someone please explain to me why Jim Marshall is not in the Hall of Fame? He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Well, I'm trying in my mind not to relate that to my situation, you know. There have been times when Ive said, Whyd I do this?, But I wasnt going to lay there and whine. WebJim Otto This article was written by Rich Shmelter For 15 seasons, the 00 on Jim Ottos uniform stood out like a beacon. No. After no National Football League team showed interest in the undersized center, Otto signed with the Oakland Raiders of the new American Football League. He was not a great linebacker. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Let's play football. Flat-out refusedthat is, until the league made him. Mark Bavaro, Tight End, New York Giants & Cleveland Browns & Philadelphia Eagles (1985-1990, 1992-1994). Favre has earned three MVP awards and led the Packers to a championship in 1996. It's detailed, proudly, in his book, "The Pain of Glory" (ISBN 1-58261-066-5), published in 2000. Jim Strub wrote from a mountainside in Colorado. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Otto's 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. If I had a graph I could show you it. They told me if I took the shots and played, it would get better, said Marsh. 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. Coaches had a way of making you feel less manly if you didnt play. No. PBS Terms of Use And the helmets weren't made very good. And anything that we would do, it was part of our lineage, part of our genes, part of what our family had given us, the will to be the best. Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. And if you cant take the injuries, get the hell out. And with your head traumas, with the head injuries, tell me about one in particular. And Nitschke, it was right toward the end of his career, and he was I guess letting Carter get some time in there. 11. 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 turned Web Site Copyright 1995-2016 WGBH Educational Foundation I mean, like that disease CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] --. We were at the Polo Grounds when I first ran up against him. 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. Bavaro's play inspired the Giants, who went on to win the game, and the Super Bowl. You're the tackler, and you get fined. When you talk about your knees, legs, those kind of things, those kinds of injuries, clearly related to football, I mean, you know when these injuries started probably and all that. Now, I don't think that's fair. 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. Favre has started 287 consecutive games, including the postseason, an all-time record for a quarterback. It's more retirement I think than anything else. Mike Webster is doing this every play. And then there's the injured tough, which is no-regard-for-your-body-and-play-with-broken-bones tough. Youngblood played the final three games of the 1979 NFL playoffs, including the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a heavily-taped broken leg. Mel Hein, Center, New York Giants (1931-1945). Butkus's opponents claimed that Butkus was like an odor that you could feel or sense on the field. He was an All-Star in the first 13 of his 15 seasons (every year in the AFL from 1960 through 1969) and three of his five seasons in the NFL. He waited six months between artificial knees 5 and 6 after fighting off an infection that nearly took his life. Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris have served time on drug convictions. 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. I don't want to make an excuse. Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett calls LT an old-school player. You seem completely with it and pulling up words and memories and having no problems at all. I think if you were to look at me and evaluate me, it was a matter of pride. In his 14 seasons, Lilly never missed a game. I know that all of us guys I know in some way, shape or form have down times, when there's a certain amount of depression in our minds and our thoughts, in our heart, and it's not a very comfortable situation. If we were fighting a war, the linebackers would be the first guys to get killed. In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. The impact and velocity of some collisions, normal Americans cant appreciate because they are not on the field, said John Lopez, head of Towson Sports Medicine and former trainer with the Baltimore Colts. And then the next game you did that snap that you're --. But that didn't bother me that much. These guys constantly live on the edge, and the same behavior they once used to achieve notoriety on the field they exhibit off the field.. He wasn't drafted by any NFL team, so he joined the Oakland Raiders of the new AFL, went on a strength program to increase his weight by 50 pounds, and became Oakland's starting center for the next 15 seasons. Dobler swore that he would never intentionally blind someone, only blur their vision. I walked by Frank, and he was laid out. 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. 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. Larry Csonka, Fullback, Miami Dolphins & New York Giants (1968-1974, 1976-1979). I put my head down and charged into the hole. We need people in the National Football League now, and I think we have various different projects going within the NFL -- the NFL Players Association, the NFL Alumni -- to help these guys now, because I did go to the Alumni, I did go to the Players Association and get monies from them for other rehabs for other players. It becomes quite a shock.. Otto set the standard for excellence at center, the article said. However, 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. Told by doctors that he would never play football again, Bleier, recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, spent two full years attempting to return to the NFL. and ankle injuries during his three years with the Hurricanes. 8. Where are you?," you know, and I didn't know where the hell I was. Krueger now cant kneel and has problems walking on uneven surfaces. Lawrence Taylor, Linebacker, New York Giants (1981-1993), LT was easily the most disruptive defensive force in NFL history. Garrison has also played through a separated shoulder, a severely broken nose and a broken collarbone. I haven't necessarily told them what I'm thinking. While an encore performance on the field isnt possible, Jims glorious playing career can be appreciated again this week in the Gold Jacket Spotlight. 12x One contract can provide financial security for a lifetime. Romanowski played in 243 consecutive games, a record for a linebacker, and played for four Super Bowl champions. WebJim Otto was born in Wausau, WI. Family Life He married a woman named Sally and has a daughter named Jennifer. Journalistic Guidelines Double-zero In the first sentence of his foreword for the book, Hall of Fame coach John Madden writes: If someone came from another planet and wanted to know what a football player looked like, youd show him a poster of Jim Otto. Madden goes on to call Jim the greatest center who ever played.. Kilroy denied the charge. The content here may be outdated or no longer functioning. WebLatest on C Jim Otto including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com He's beating people with it. I mean, we battled in there, and this is the result of it right here, sitting here, looking at you. He was called the John Wayne of Football by John Madden. Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Deacon perfected the head slap, a move that would be eventually banned by the NFL because it was too effective., 29. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. WebAs a result of injuries sustained during his playing career, he has endured more than 70 surgeries, including nearly 30 knee operations. He spent the week prior to a game building up his hatred over the opponent. One great performance, such as Joe Namaths for the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, can bring endless endorsements. My wife is starting to try to convince me to do it. 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. Earl Campbell, Running Back, Houston Oilers & New Orleans Saints (1978-1985), I can't think of anyone who even comes in a close second, when you say, Running backswho really hurts? When other coaches started seeing what a guy that size could do, they all wanted monster players with speed. He then went on to play collegiate football at Miami. And it was about two days after the football game in high school my senior year. This is FRONTLINE's old website. You sit there. 16. The artificial surfaces are much harder than grass. Lewis is one of the greatest playmakers and natural team leaders the game has ever seen. The only first-team All-AFL center in the leagues 10-year history, Jim helped the Raiders rise from a 9-33 start in their first three years of existence to a team that won seven division titles and an AFL title and made a Super Bowl appearance before he retired. Jim Otto, center for the Oakland Raiders, poses on Aug. 15, 1970. McDonald was the last NFL player to not wear a facemask. So there's different degrees of concussions; I want you to know that. Csonka was a bull in a china shop. Few occupations can provide the riches and fame, yet simultaneously the danger, of pro football. Among Doblers principal offenses were biting, gouging, punching, kicking, and grabbing the face mask. It all swelled up, and I couldn't see, but I kept playing. Teammate Charlie Waters recalls the time that Garrison accidentally cut his thumb with a knife so that it was dangling from his hand. However, they came back stronger in 1972, scoring 365 points (26.1 points/game), 3rd of 26 teams in the NFL, but lost 13-7 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the 1972-73 NFL playoffs, the infamous and outrageous (from Oakland's point of view) Immaculate Reception game. It came from the relations with the game, yes. Lawrence was Dick Butkus, but with speed and range, said John Madden, analyst for Fox television. When Lotts finger didnt heal properly, he told the doctors to cut it off, and they amputated his pinkie at the third knuckle. I am really sore, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to take care of that. And over here these guys are wanting the world. He played with pain and didn't come out. A lot of things. About FRONTLINE We will take steps to block users who repeatedly violate our commenting rules, terms of use, or privacy policies. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. That's number one. He played three games with a fractured tibia. And I think it's very unfair. In 1990, four players were suspended. 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. Brett Favre, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons & Green Bay Packers & New York Jets (1991-present). I was depressed because I wasn't running out on the field anymore, when they announced "At center, Jim Otto." It is, because there's some people who think there's a connection between all those hits that you take and suicide, like there's a physiological connection there, you know? What were your first thoughts when you started hearing those stories after his retirement? Are you saying that even if you had the information you would have played? Im not out for revenge or anything, but I do think they took advantage of my loyalty.. He was drafted into the U.S. Army after his rookie season and endured shrapnel wounds to his right leg. And that's why we played. Since then, only three players have been suspended for the minimum four weeks for a first offense. Because I don't want to believe that that's what's happened. Hein played fifteen seasons with the Giants and never missed a play. After the game, we go into the locker room and he says, Hey Doc, I think I got a problem. Andy Russell, linebacker, 36. You ever go to a retired players association convention? said Yaras-Davis. He has played through numerous injuries, including a broken bone in his back. 7. 23. James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a former center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. Otto eventually had to have his right leg amputated on August 1, 2007. But you're saying there are issues? It was a good, clean hit. Football is a contact sport, and injuries are a part of the game. 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 It's just a physical battle in there, that you have to do. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Kentucky Derby storylines: Training death puts early pall over Churchill Downs, Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies: How to watch, start times and betting odds, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold, Shohei Ohtanis seventh home run of the season helps Angels avoid sweep, Florida Panthers upset record-setting Boston Bruins in Game 7 OT thriller. 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. Did you ever have that happen to you? I didn't bite his nose, he said. Entries that are unsigned or are "signed" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Then we go back in. 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.
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