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. I look at Dave Dalby, because he used to tell me he wanted to follow me in my footsteps. Chuck Bednarik, Center & Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles (1949-1962), The greatest collision of all time was Bednarik hitting Gifford. NFL tough guy was fined for: kicking fullback Larry Centers in the head (1995); breaking Kerry Collins' jaw on a preseason helmet-to-helmet hit (1997); throwing a football at linebacker Bryan Cox and hitting him in the groin (1999); punching tight end Tony Gonzalez (1999); and breaking the eye socket of teammate Marcus Williams in a scrimmage, forcing him to retire (2003). 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. What is it about the idea for you -- I mean, do you feel like this stuff about brain research and NFL players is kind of hogwash, or do you think there's something to it? Double-zero recalls stories about all Marsh took more than 100 painkilling injections from the Raiders and continued to play, which only made his condition worse. And a lot of times these guys fall into that category or one of those categories, and it happens that they commit suicide. I haven't necessarily told them what I'm thinking. The Raiders missed the playoffs for the first time in 5 years in 1971, despite scoring 344 points (24.6 points/game), 2nd of 26 teams in the NFL. Thats when doctors operated on his back for 11 1/2 hours to remove scar tissue and Its an orthopedics surgeons dream. Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. Jim Otto You don't mess with him. If you get hit in the head and a little dizziness comes out of it, you've suffered a concussion. With a broken jaw wired shut, McDonald could only drink milkshakes and watched his weight plummet from 175 to 143. Yeah. I'm just astounded, and he's using this hand that is broken as a club. Two years ago, Detroit Lions guard Mike Utley took a hit and suffered severe spinal damage, leaving him nearly a quadriplegic. Former Colts linebacker Mike Curtis said those cases are few and too highly publicized. Namaths famously fragile knees are so painful that he cant carry his children down steps. Jim Otto 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. Every game. Now, I don't think that's fair. 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. But a number of former players, including receiver Al Toon of the New York Jets and running back Vic Washington of the 49ers, developed post-traumatic stress disorder. They dont want to believe that someone put them in a position to make them look like idiots., Former Colts quarterback Bert Jones, 45, said: Everybody goes into the game realizing that two things are going to happen: Either one day youre going to be cut because youre no longer good enough, or an injury is going to cut short your career. The FRONTLINE Interview: Jim Otto | League of Denial: The NFL's 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. Some play with injuries because they fear they might lose their job or position and their self-concept and identity. Nagurski once knocked unconscious four would-be tacklers on a kickoff return touchdown in his rookie season. But I don't think you can blame it -- I don't know. Steve McNair is the definition of playing through pain. Well, I'm very fortunate that I can do that, because there are times that I can't remember people's names. When Lotts finger didnt heal properly, he told the doctors to cut it off, and they amputated his pinkie at the third knuckle. In 15 seasons, Otto played 210 consecutive games and made the AFL All-Star or Pro Bowl team 12 times. It is filled with sights and sounds of collisions that are sometimes startling and other times frightening. 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. They're suing everybody for a lot of money, which I don't like because that's going to hurt football in high school, Little League and in pros. But I'm still going at my age, and --. I used to watch you play when I was a kid --. It was Dave Dalby. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. 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. For the next 15 years, he was a fixture at center for the Oakland Raiders, never missing a single game due to injury. Mike Curtis, Linebacker, Baltimore Colts & Seattle Seahawks & Washington Redskins (1965-1978). Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. It all swelled up, and I couldn't see, but I kept playing. But you're talking about a different kind, the much more common, everyday, every play? "Uh-uh, can't do it," you know? Here's the last question. -- but we never associated that and concussions or hits with long-term brain trauma. Lavine, now the University of Marylands team doctor, agrees with Huizenga, but adds the pressure does not come solely from owners, but also from coaches, parents and especially players. I forget words. He had his right leg amputated in 2007. Editors note: Sadly, Class of 52 correspondent Joan Boffa Gaul passed away on April 11, 2023.This column, her final one, was written in February. The 2003 NFL MVP, McNair has never missed a playoff start and led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 1999. He chewed through the bars of his face mask and reportedly ate the window panes of the team bus. Bill Romanowski, Linebacker, San Francisco 49ers & Philadelphia Eagles & Denver Broncos & Oakland Raiders (1988-2003). 38. There's the toughness of getting the snot knocked out of you, and the can't-be-intimidated, never-quit kind of tough. Jim Otto Yeah, just on the line, hitting each other. And playing with concussions, playing with other problems that we did play with, never coming off the field --. 4. I thought he killed Frank. No. Ive heard guys like Jim Otto and Dan Hampton say they would do it again. For 19 straight seasons. Also, once the NFL became a billion-dollar business about 1980, teams became less likely to risk injuries with million-dollar players, and urged them to participate in year-round conditioning, which includes weight training and aerobic exercise. Well, the results with myself, you know, has been very difficult. And that's what I'm doing. 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. We met at the line of scrimmage, and you could hear the thud all over the Polo Grounds. Davis.". Injuries; Super Bowl LVII; Coaches; Football Power That's the way Mike Webster would say it, too. He also fought off three life-threatening bouts of infections due to his artificial joints, and during one six-month stretch, was without a proper right knee joint because he had to wait for the infection to clear up before another artificial one could be implanted. He spit in the face of Eagles safety Bill Bradley as he lay injured on the ground. 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 Well, when that tackler -- in so many cases, if you watch the television, you watch the film, you see that tackler coming in with his head and his shoulders, which he's been taught to use to tackle his whole life. I don't like concussions. And then tell me about a good solid head hit that you remember from the NFL as well. 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. Jim Strub wrote from a mountainside in Colorado. Contact FRONTLINE Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. 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. Gary Fencik: I had the displeasure of tackling, by accident, Walter only once in my 12-year career. 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. And it's not being selfish, not on my behalf being selfish because I can't do it, and I would want it. Bleier eventually played on four Super Bowl championships and earned a reputation as both a fearsome blocker and a powerful runner. He is regarded as the second dirtiest player in the NFL and a 2008 poll revealed that one of the scariest things in the NFL is being blocked by Runyan on a screen pass. I'm sure he would. Over the course of his career, Jim Why? 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. It's not for weak-hearted guys. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. A Living Raider Legend, "Mr. 8. That's number one. 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. Dobler swore that he would never intentionally blind someone, only blur their vision. WebJim Otto is generally recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. WebJim Otto was born in Wausau, WI. 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. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, the first year he was eligible. 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. Back then, owners would do anything to maximize their payrolls to win the war games. I don't think it's hogwash. THE BREAKS OF THE GAME OF THE GAME Nobody is helping me. There's so many things psychologically that can affect each and every person in this world, not just football players. 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. Of those who did not leave because of injury, 56.2% reported similar emotional problems. There's a tear near the break, and his bone is sticking out. I'm over here, I had a couple dozen concussions or more, and I hurt. 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. WebJim Otto (born January 10, 1992) is a retired American football Offensive Tackle. He ran 32 times for 168 yards and caught 10 balls for 61 yards. 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 Because I don't want to believe that that's what's happened. In 1997, he spit in the face of wide receiver JJ Stokes. But many former players are experiencing health problems after the spotlight dims, the celebrity fades and they cease to be larger than life. In 1951 alone, he knocked out 21 players. That is my complete and honest feeling. He rushed for over 100 yards, caught several passes, and helped the Cowboys continue their path to the Super Bowl. Jim Otto was a Raiders ironman - Las Vegas Review-Journal And so these thoughts that have come through your head are fairly recent then? 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