74 operations Jim Otto had a slew of ailments throughout his 14-year career with the Oakland Raiders. For his football injuries, he had 74 operations, including the amputation of one of his legs. His other leg was shortened by bone spurs that developed from playing football.
Otto began his NFL career with the Raiders in 1960 and played for them until 1974 when he ended his career after having his second leg removed. He died in April 2013 at the age of 80.
In addition to his football injuries, Otto also had two strokes, three heart attacks, and diabetes which caused blindness in one eye. He suffered from chronic back pain due to degenerative disk disease and arthritis.
Without the help of medical professionals, there is no way that Otto could have survived so many injuries. However, technology has come a long way since then and we can now repair many of these injuries instead of replacing parts of Otto's body with prosthetics.
Medical advancements have also increased life expectancy of players. For example, Otto would not be able to play football today because of his many surgeries; however, he would still be alive because doctors can now fix some of the damage done by pro sports.
There are also precautions that players can take to reduce their risk of injury.
28. During his NFL career, Otto's body was severely abused, resulting in roughly 74 procedures, including 28 on his knee (nine of which occurred during his playing career) and several joint replacements. His joints got infected with arthritis, and he suffered from excruciating back and neck pain. He died at age 59 in 1998.
Otto had nine surgeries to his knee while he was playing football for the Browns and Lions. The first surgery took place in 1959 when he was just 26 years old. He had another major operation done on his knee in 1964. In all, he had seven more surgeries on his knee over the course of his career.
After his retirement, he had four more surgeries on his knee, including two replacement surgeries. He finished his career with 65 catches for 954 yards and eight touchdowns.
When he died in 1998 at the age of 59, Otto had already begun to experience symptoms of dementia. He had several strokes before his death.
Otto is one of only three players who have played in the NFL both before and after the founding of the American Football League. The others are Frank Gifford and Ron Kramer.
Gifford played 11 seasons in the NFL from 1950-1961, finishing with 200 receptions for 2,690 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Center 50/Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders of Las Vegas Otto, Jim (Numero) Among the finest quarterbacks throughout these 15 years were Flores, Lamonica, the legendary Blanda, and Stabler, but there was one constant, one center, one captain, one original Raider who started in all 210 consecutive regular season games. Jim Otto was his name, and he...
Jim Otto played in only two games before ending his career with the Los Angeles Raiders. But based on how many balls he kicked, he must have been pretty important to the team. He finished with 55 sacks over that two-year period and was a three-time All-Pro selection. After retiring, he worked as an assistant coach for the Raiders and then with the Chicago Bears.
Otto was born on January 4th, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft. He spent his entire eight-year career with the Raiders, earning three straight All-Pro selections from 1969 to 1971.
After his retirement, he became the team's offensive line coach in 1972 before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 1974. In 1978, he took over as head coach when Don Coryell departed to join Frank Broyles at Kentucky University. However, he was fired after just one season due to poor record (3-9).
The Raiders of Oakland Gus Otto (born December 8, 1943) is a former collegiate (University of Missouri) and professional football player from the United States. He was a linebacker with the American Football League's Oakland Raiders from 1965 to 1969 and the NFL Raiders from 1970 to 1972. Before joining the AFL, Otto played three seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts.
He was a member of the first team that represented the AFL at the NFL Championship game in 1967. The following year, he helped lead the Raiders to their only Super Bowl victory over Denver. After leaving the Raiders after two seasons, Otto returned to the CFL where he finished his career with the Ottawa Rough Riders.
Otto was a four-time all-star and a member of five championship teams while in Oakland. He returned to Canada after his retirement from football as a member of the expansion Ottawa Senators' roster for the 1973 season. That same year, he was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Otto went to college on a football scholarship at the University of Missouri. It was there that he met his future wife, Mary Ann Frey. The couple married in January 1966 and had one son together before divorcing in May 1971. After his retirement from football, Otto worked as an insurance salesman.
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