While an encore performance on the field isnt possible, Jims glorious playing career can be appreciated again this week in the Gold Jacket Spotlight. I don't know that much about other players regarding suicide. What's going on? But you're saying there are issues? Jon Runyan, Tackle, Houston/Tennessee Oilers & Titans, Philadelphia Eagles (1996-present). Garrison has also played through a separated shoulder, a severely broken nose and a broken collarbone. Two years later Unitas played the entire season with a broken vertebrae. He led the Eagles to championships in 1949 and 1960. And everything is actually true to my heart, to my mind. 35. Don Meredith, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys (1960-1968), Meredith was really tough. That crackling thud can mean a broken bone or a torn cartilage--and a redefined life. Former Los Angeles Raiders offensive lineman Curt Marsh, who retired in 1987, had his right foot and lower leg amputated Sept. 21. It actually has to do with Junior Seau this past year and other recent events. Get hit in the head so hard your eyes were crossed? But let them play. What is the result exactly? I guess I hit someone pretty hard, and we didn't have any masks, and I got hit in the face. Otto played high school football at Wisconsin's Wausau High School, under coach Win Brockmeyer. I walked by Frank, and he was laid out. Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris have served time on drug convictions. WebInjuries and surgeries. The average weight for a lineman on the Colts championship teams in 1958 and 1959 was 240 pounds. He said, Football is tough. Over the course of his career, Jim During the 1980s, Otto was involved in numerous business ventures. He owned numerous Burger King Restaurants near Sacramento, California until the early 1990s. In 1997, Otto's daughter, Jennifer, a 39-year-old mother of four, died from a blood clot. And a lot of times these guys fall into that category or one of those categories, and it happens that they commit suicide. Soon, attorneys were winning workers compensation cases throughout the league, which caused doctors to be more cautious with their diagnoses. Hines Ward, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (1998-present). In 1999, he was ranked number 78 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Jim Otto was a Raiders ironman. WebJim Otto, Mr. The Pro Football Hall of Fame recently received new artifacts from Super Bowl LV. Jim Otto, center for the Oakland Raiders, poses on Aug. 15, 1970. Some things couldnt be measured, however, like Jims self-motivation, commitment and pride. Otto eventually had to have his right leg amputated on August 1, 2007. In one game, he knocked out the entire Washington Redskins backfield one by one. He had a game-winning tackle of future Hall of Fame running back Jim Taylor in the closing seconds of the Eagles 17-13 win in 1960. I've had amnesia like that. He became homeless, those stories. 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. Thats when doctors operated on his back for 11 1/2 hours to remove scar tissue and 28. Double-zero recalls stories about all There were two times. And over here these guys are wanting the world. He had his right leg amputated in 2007. And then being in that position to hit the ball, the runner drops his head, the quarterback drops his head or whatever it might be, and you have head-to-head contact. When Lotts finger didnt heal properly, he told the doctors to cut it off, and they amputated his pinkie at the third knuckle. Jim Otto weighed 255 lbs (115 kg) when playing. Nicknamed The Brute, Trafton broke the leg and ended the career of halfback Fred Chicken by throwing him into a fence. During his fifth training camp, he suffered the injury that ultimately led to amputation. 4. I said why isn't there somebody taking care of him? We will take steps to block users who repeatedly violate our commenting rules, terms of use, or privacy policies. 16. And that's the way we played. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? He was middle linebacker for the Packers. Doesn't say anything. In a playoff game in 1970, Garrison broke three ribs in the first quarter and continued playing after he was carried off the field. So there's different degrees of concussions; I want you to know that. WebHe considered the 20-some broken noses as more nuisance than hindrance, along with a hip pointer, broken fingers, broken ribs, a broken jaw, neck stingers, numerous 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. But I don't think you can blame it -- I don't know. Football has given me so many memories that money cant buy, he said. Utleys injury received a lot of media attention because it happened during a game. He rushed for over 100 yards, caught several passes, and helped the Cowboys continue their path to the Super Bowl. 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? And that happened to me in college, too, so it -- each time [I] had a very sickly feeling after it had happened, you know? But I'm not out there crying about it. We havent seen the worst yet.. Every game. George Trafton, Center, Chicago Bears (1920-1921, 1923-1932). He also had a ramp to enter the bathtub. Below is a look at some of Jim Ottos career accomplishments and highlights. And she says, "I didn't marry you for that leg anyway." His right leg was eventually amputated in 2007. Now, the amnesia one, that was before the NFL, is that right? Then there's the toughness a person has, an aura, that he can intimidate other people by his play or his toughness.. And I went, "Yay." I don't think it's hogwash. Immediately everybody rushes to blame football or blame some other thing happened in their life either socially, emotionally or psychologically. It becomes quite a shock.. There's a battle, and that battle is going on. Lewis's toughness peaked when he dislocated his elbow so seriously that a teammate was forced to help him put on his jewelry. In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. Raider played and played and played constantly proving wrong several coaches who in high school, college and the pros considered him undersized to hold up against defensive linemen and linebackers. 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 Lewis is one of the greatest playmakers and natural team leaders the game has ever seen. We dont keep records, but were seeing greater numbers of psychological problems when theyre finished playing.. In most cases I would like to be able to be out there doing something for somebody else, helping somebody else, and I can't. He hasnt jogged since January 1989. 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. Butkus was a turnover machine and earned eight Pro Bowl selections in his nine seasons. Former Chicago Bears tight end and head coach Mike Ditka waddles like a wooden toy soldier because of an artificial hip. Contact FRONTLINE Namaths famously fragile knees are so painful that he cant carry his children down steps. Hines Ward played wide receiver, tailback, quarterback, and punt returner in college. When you looked at your wife and you didn't know who she was, like, who's this chick? Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne has called Wilson pound for pound the toughest player in the NFL., 31. 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.. 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? The psychological high and its addiction is parallel to people who become addicted to cocaine or a smoker who has a dependency on cigarettes. Otto used to collapse in the early years of his retirement, even though he walks without difficulty now. Over his 14-year career, which And boy, the rest of the day was hell for me. The ironic part? I just -- I know and I've told that those are the battle scars of a gladiator. There have been times when Ive said, Whyd I do this?, But I wasnt going to lay there and whine. Marsh played with the Raiders seven years, during which he was hospitalized 18 times and had 13 surgeries. 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. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation, the John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, the Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, By submitting comments here, you are consenting to these rules:Readers' comments that include profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, harassment, or are defamatory, sexist, racist, violate a third party's right to privacy, or are otherwise inappropriate, will be removed. You couldn't be upset about the hit; it was clean and legal. --Sam Huff, Bednarik was the last NFL player to play offense and defense. If they don't enjoy it, then they should play soccer or they should play something else. He went down, then got up and trotted off the field. In addition to playing offensive center at UM, he also played linebacker on defense. That's number one. Both the pain and the glory are relived this week as Jim, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fames Class of 1980, steps into the Gold Jacket Spotlight. Do you associate Dalby and Webster's post-career declines and troubles with the hard-hitting nature of the game? Davis.". and ankle injuries during his three years with the Hurricanes. 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. Raider," Jim Otto - Sports No. The Cowboys won the game, earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and captured the Super Bowl title. 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. I'm telling you about it right now: I hurt. Well, I'm very fortunate that I can do that, because there are times that I can't remember people's names. 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. 1952. 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. Stillwell, who played only three seasons with the Bears, walks with a cane. Now, the NFL average is about 300, and increasing. 15. He was one of the best 4th-and-1 runners in NFL history. Hitting harder than anyone else was very important to us. 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. Steve McNair is the definition of playing through pain. Im not out for revenge or anything, but I do think they took advantage of my loyalty.. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Ernie Holmes once sat on a bridge and shot at passing trucks, and then was arrested for shooting a police officer in the leg before surrendering. WebJim Otto was born in Wausau, WI. Once you leave the game, people forget about you quite quickly, said Drew Pearson, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver. It has to really be studied. 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. He's beating people with it. 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. Jack Tatum, Safety, Oakland Raiders & Houston Oilers (1971-1980), He was nicknamed The Assassin. He knocked out future Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey in the first game of his career. Rob Huizenga, in his book Youre Okay, Its Just a Bruise, suggests that some team doctors were involved in a silent conspiracy with management to put players back on the field at any cost. A Jim Otto is doing this every play. I don't want anybody to be hurt from football. I know he was a great football player. A Living Raider Legend, "Mr. It has come upon people and hurt people for periods of time, you know? Journalistic Guidelines 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. Retirement affects athletes in different ways, said Fishelman, the Baltimore doctor. And he hung with me. 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.. Do you feel like there's an increased notoriety of players when something very bad happens like a suicide? 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.. My nose was broken pretty, pretty good. And it's a good hit. I've been going to pain clinic now for about a month, two months, where they're working on various different things on my body to release the pain from my neck, from my back, from certain parts of my body that's really bothering me. 33. 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. But many former players are experiencing health problems after the spotlight dims, the celebrity fades and they cease to be larger than life. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Otto's 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. In 1972, he thought he broke his back on a hit by a Minnesota Vikings linebacker, so he crawled off the field. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. I've had over 20 concussions myself, and I don't like them. I never went out of the game. It was the hardest tackle I ever made, but I made it, and I said to myself, Well, I guess that will show you, Nagurski! Then as I was getting up, I heard the referee shout, Second down and 2!, George Halas: Nagurski blasted through two would-be tacklers as though they were a pair of old saloon doors and kept on going right into the endzone. No. It's strange; it's really strange. Jim cant walk through an airport without the metal detectors going off, said Miki Yaras-Davis, director of benefits for the NFL Players Association. WebHow did Jim Otto loose his leg? Jim Otto starred for the Oakland Raiders, but his roots were in Wausau, Wisconsin. I forget words. But those things would either stimulate them or it would put them under to the point where the pain was no longer there. McDonald was the last NFL player to not wear a facemask. Lawrence Taylor, Linebacker, New York Giants (1981-1993), LT was easily the most disruptive defensive force in NFL history. But Jim suffered greatly for that glory. I mean, we battled in there, and this is the result of it right here, sitting here, looking at you. He retired from the Arena Football League in 1992. In 1997, Otto's daughter, Jennifer, a 39-year-old mother of four, died from a blood clot. Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory is the story about a man who fought through numerous injuries, frequent surgeries, and a myriad of other maladies. 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. Corporate Sponsorship Nobody took me off the field, said, "Jim, you've got to do this." "Double O" starred for Wausau East, but even after college was considered I don't have knees anymore. With the Cowboys and Giants fighting for the NFC East and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Emmitt played the entire game with a sprained and separated right shoulder. As a show of respect, he always calls Raiders' owner Al Davis "Mr. Dick Plasman, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears & Chicago Cardinals (1937-1947). 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. For 19 straight seasons. After the game, we go into the locker room and he says, Hey Doc, I think I got a problem. Andy Russell, linebacker, 36. For the next 15 years, he was a fixture at center for the Oakland Raiders, never missing a single game due to injury. The former Titans star quarterback has injured nearly every part of his body at one time or another. Nothing dirty about it. Because I don't want to believe that that's what's happened. So when you retire from football and you've been involved in football, some kids -- it never happened to me. In 1990, four players were suspended. They never told me part of my knee was missing, said Krueger. If I had a graph I could show you it. I got upset. It came from the game. Including pre-season, regular season and post-season games, Otto competed in 308 consecutive games. How much did Jim Otto weigh when playing? And so yes, he broke my helmet; he broke my face mask in here, which broke my nose and set it over here. 21. He won eight rushing titles before abruptly retiring at the age of 30. 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. He ended the career of MVP quarterback Joe Theismann with a compound leg fracture in a Monday Night game in 1985. 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. He suffered from chronic back pain due to Well, a huge hole opened, and I saw him coming. He was once the leagues iron man, but Ottos body is now a combination of plastic joints, flesh and screws. In order to foster a civil and literate discussion that respects all participants, FRONTLINE has the following guidelines for commentary. I don't like to think about what these guys are talking about with regards to concussions and how it could affect our lives. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. 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. and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. 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 am really sore, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to take care of that. It's just a physical battle in there, that you have to do. There wasn't anybody. PBS Privacy Policy Yeah. I think, why am I thinking this? Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. They're no longer heroes. I was paid to play football, not hang out in the training room.. He endured torn-up knees, broken hands, broken ribs, and an acutely-painful hamstring tear but never missed a game. Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (1996-present). A lot of things. Otto was one of only 20 players to play for the entire ten-year existence of the American Football League, and was selected as the Sporting News All-League center from 1960 through 1969. It all swelled up, and I couldn't see, but I kept playing. He makes this big fist. What about when you heard about Mike Webster's decline afterward, you know? Well, the results with myself, you know, has been very difficult. I realize that. He has played through numerous injuries, including a broken bone in his back. PBS Terms of Use He owned numerous Burger King Restaurants near Sacramento, California until the early 1990s. And if you cant take the injuries, get the hell out. Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis made the announcement Wednesday as part of a wide-ranging news conference touching on the state of the team, the recent death of Bill Walsh and pensions for former NFL players. In 1958, with three broken ribs and a punctured lung, he led the Colts to the NFL title while wearing a protective harness. Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor revolutionized pro football in the 1980s. Looked like a raccoon. Bob Lilly, 37. What were your first thoughts when you started hearing those stories after his retirement? When Giants defensive tackle Jim Pietrzak wished him good luck in the playoffs, he punched him. He liked to think that his best hits border on felonious assault., 14. I don't make want to make excuses. So all of a sudden here comes Raymond into the game. Nearly two out of three retirees live with a permanent injury. Theyre still in that state of denial. And then you have a guy like Junior Seau come along this last year. Forty-year-old players are having the same problems as 80-year-old men., Wherever there is repeated trauma to certain areas, wherever joints and ligaments have been injured, arthritis and other degenerative diseases, well, its going to happen, said Dr. Stan Lavine, team physician of the Washington Redskins from 1975 through 1985. Jim Brown, Running Back, Cleveland Browns (1957-1965), Arguably the greatest combination of power and speed the game has ever seen, Brown missed one game in his nine-year career. There was recently a Washington Redskins player who got cut and shot his bed full of bullet holes, said Yaras-Davis, who declined to name the player. Ronnie Lott, Cornerback & Safety, San Francisco 49ers & Los Angeles Raiders & New York Jets & Kansas City Chiefs (1981-1995). We met at the line of scrimmage, and you could hear the thud all over the Polo Grounds. So you were saying it was war out there. That is my complete and honest feeling. Favre has started 287 consecutive games, including the postseason, an all-time record for a quarterback. Deacon Jones, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams & San Diego Chargers & Washington Redskins (1961-1974), The NFL's unofficial record-holder with 26 sacks in the 1967 season, Deacon coined the term sack. Jones said that toughness is defined not by playing through pain, but by avoiding pain in the first place. But a lot of guys no longer get the "Hey, Joe, how you doing. " Even as the surgeries mounted and routine elements of daily living became more and more challenging Waking up is the best part of my day, he wrote Jim has repeated in many interviews since his retirement that we wouldnt change history. The content here may be outdated or no longer functioning. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Web Site Copyright 1995-2016 WGBH Educational Foundation It's like the way that you used to do it. . Bleier's story is one of the greatest in the history of sports. And we were together a lot. Kilroy denied the charge. Today, he tours the country giving motivational speeches. Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus had a similar situation with the Bears. And the helmets weren't made very good. And I'm sure there's a lot of studies going on with regard to what was going on with him prior to this. WebJim Otto is generally recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. Oh no. Team doctors injected his knees with cortisone and other high-powered drugs in 1972 and 1973, causing permanent damage, he said. Emmitt Smith, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys & Arizona Cardinals (1990-2004), Emmitt Smith transformed the epitome of toughness on national television in the last game of the season in 1993. It's incredibly debatable, but here is my attempt to rank them in order for toughness. James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin) is a former center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. Tommy McDonald, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles & Dallas Cowboys & Los Angeles Rams & Atlanta Falcons & Cleveland Browns (1957-1968).
