Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as “Mr. Raider” for his perseverance through a slew of ailments, died Sunday night, the organization announced. He was 86.
It took some time to determine the cause of death.
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The club referred to him as “The Original Raider” in a statement on the social media platform X. “Jim embodies consistency, and his influence on the American Football League and professional football overall is immense.” “His leadership and toughness were the defining characteristics of the successful Raider teams of the 1960s and 1970s.”
Even when they relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, Otto remained associated with the Raiders. He was one of several former Raiders players in the locker room after the team’s 27-14 season-ending victory over the Denver Broncos in January.
Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive end Maxx Crosby said on X that Otto was an “absolute legend and incredible person.”
Otto joined the Raiders for their first season in the American Football League in 1960 and remained a regular on the team for the next 15 years.
He never missed a game due to injury, playing in 210 consecutive regular-season games and 308 consecutive overall contests despite having nine knee surgeries during his playing career. In 2007, they amputated his right leg.
“He’s a warrior,” former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon once stated. “When you think of Jim Otto, you think of the old-time, tough Raider.”
In 1980, Otto earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and earned a reputation as one of the AFL’s greatest players.
Most of the 50 procedures he underwent were for football-related injuries. Repeated joint replacements, arthritis, and severe back and neck difficulties plagued him. He had his right leg amputated in 2007.
Otto also developed prostate cancer and two serious infections during his career.
“I can take any type of surgery in the world except for when it comes to something that’s internal,” he stated. “When it’s cosmetic—fixing your nose, fixing your knee, fixing your elbows, or whatever—that’s nothing.”
Wearing his famous No. 00 jersey—aa pun on his name, “Aught-oh”—Otto participated in nine AFL All-Star games and the first three AFC-NFC Pro Bowls before being elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot.
“Throughout my career, I worked hard to continue to stay a level above everyone else,” Otto once stated. “Each day I stepped onto the field, I was the best center.” That was how I wanted to be. “I proceeded to perform at that level in accordance with those expectations.”
Otto played an important role in the Raiders’ rise to the top of the professional football ranks. The squad won seven division titles in its final eight seasons before losing the Super Bowl to Green Bay in 1967.
He spent his final seasons alongside fellow Hall of Fame offensive linemen Gene Upshaw and Art Shell. The Raiders physically dominated their opponents.
“There was some intimidation,” he explained. “Teams didn’t like to come to Oakland because of the fans and the football team.”
The Raiders also gained a reputation for partying harder than they could handle. According to legend, players would only arrive in time for bed check at 11 p.m. before departing.
“No matter what happened the night before, they were all at practice the next morning,” recalled Otto.
Otto was born on January 5, 1938, in Wausau, Wisconsin, and grew up in poverty, even spending time with his family in a chicken coop. He departed to play collegiate football at the University of Miami, where he excelled at center and linebacker.
He was undrafted by the NFL in 1959 before signing with the Raiders of the newly formed AFL the following year. He was one of only 20 players to compete in the AFL for the whole ten years.
Otto most recently worked as the team’s director of special initiatives. He coordinated previous players’ reunions and fan gatherings in the luxury boxes, as well as public appearances for the squad.
He also played an important part in arranging the team’s return to Oakland from Los Angeles before the 1995 season. The Raiders moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas in 2020.
His wife Sally, son Jim Jr., daughter-in-law Leah, and 14 grandchildren—Alice, Sarah, Amy, Amanda, Josiah, Hannah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jennifer, Avery, Noah, Aiden, Roman, and Ellie—survive Otto.
