Does that take a certain temperament? You sit there. I think if you were to look at me and evaluate me, it was a matter of pride. He was double-teamed, every play, for his entire career. They would worry about the consequences later., Huizenga said: I would say most of the doctors are first-rate professionals, but they can fall into a trap from the huge pressures of owners and the millions of dollars involved, especially in big games. And I went, "Yay." He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. So it was probably a frontal type of concussion, I don't know. 23. He waited six months between artificial knees 5 and 6 after fighting off an infection that nearly took his life. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. 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 missed the whole next year of football. Otto went down with a torn ACL. And my amnesia that I had happened in high school and college. If they don't enjoy it, then they should play soccer or they should play something else. Over the course of his career, Jim There wasn't anybody. Web Site Copyright 1995-2016 WGBH Educational Foundation Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1970 and once knocked unconscious a fan who entered onto the playing field during a game. It was 1st and 10, and they gave the ball to Nagurski up the middle. There is a new level of information, and they've done some good studies on it, which are very important. I was depressed because I wasn't running out on the field anymore, when they announced "At center, Jim Otto." We had the same thing, similar, happen to a center who took my place after I retired, Dave Dalby. 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 played before my time as a fan but I know his name and looked forward to reading his story. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Ottos 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. Unitas missed most of the 1968 season due to injury but returned in the Super Bowl to lead Baltimore on its only touchdown drive in a 16-7 loss to the Jets. Because I don't want to believe that that's what's happened. Minor injuries, therefore minor distractions, he called them. 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. 32. Let me ask you. Nobody is helping me. Throughout his Hall of Fame career, this three-time NFL MVP played with a number of injuries, including a badly broken nose, broken fingers, ripped arm tendons, and torn knee cartilage. It's the way we were taught to hit. 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. Mr. Nicknamed The Brute, Trafton broke the leg and ended the career of halfback Fred Chicken by throwing him into a fence. And I think it's very unfair. The highs an athlete gets from the highly selective field makes it hard for them to settle into another pursuit. But I don't think you can blame it -- I don't know. 1 seed for Division 1 baseball playoffs, High school tennis: Southern Section playoff pairings, High school baseball: Southern Section playoff pairings, Dig this: Long Beach States Mason Briggs could be next big thing at libero. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame receives No. After a few days, Otto gave out a press conference telling the nation that he had retired from the game of football. Graves experience spans over 37 years as a football administrator of the NFL. It has to really be studied. They never told me part of my knee was missing, said Krueger. Most current players feel they have more leverage since Butkus filed a $1.6 million suit against the Bears in 1974 and came away with a $600,000 settlement. You're the tackler, and you get fined. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. McDonald suffered exactly zero broken noses and knocked out teeth in his career. "I'm not out there crying" over concussions, "I would walk off the field and my eyes would be crossed", "Hitting harder than anyone else was very important to us.". Thats when doctors operated on his back for 11 1/2 hours to remove scar tissue and In 1951 alone, he knocked out 21 players. You wouldnt believe the number of divorces when the big money stops coming in. Krueger endured as many as 50 procedures in which bloody fluid was removed from his swollen knee and replaced with steroid compounds. Hines Ward played wide receiver, tailback, quarterback, and punt returner in college. He's probably one of the best known retired NFL players to do that. He underwent surgery to have 30 inches of his intestines removed, and returned for the second game of the season. Corporate Sponsorship I look at Dave Dalby, because he used to tell me he wanted to follow me in my footsteps. His last game, up in Cleveland, he came out of the hospital to play with a broken rib, a punctured lung, and pneumonia. Bleier's story is one of the greatest in the history of sports. And playing with concussions, playing with other problems that we did play with, never coming off the field --. 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 but has said that he We will take steps to block users who repeatedly violate our commenting rules, terms of use, or privacy policies. Almost no one leaves this game unscarred either physically or mentally.. Today, Otto is handicapped, but he says he wouldn't change a thing if given the opportunity to do it over again. But many former players are experiencing health problems after the spotlight dims, the celebrity fades and they cease to be larger than life. In a playoff game in 1972, Greene recorded five sacks, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and blocked a field goal in a 9-3 win vs. Houston. We reserve the right to not post comments that are more than 400 words. 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). And Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame quarterback John Unitas once-golden right arm has a restructured right hand. Now, the tackler is fined $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, whatever it is for a blow to the head. 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 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. Jim Otto. In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. This interview was conducted by FRONTLINEs Tom Jennings on Dec. 22, 2012. Perhaps the most painful of Jim Otto's 23 surgeries occurred five years ago. He went down, then got up and trotted off the field. Namaths famously fragile knees are so painful that he cant carry his children down steps. Former Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, whose gambling addiction led to two NFL suspensions in the early 1980s, was charged with bouncing or stealing more than $400,000 in checks this year. Big was in.. 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. I don't know, but I only know basically what's in my mind and in my heart, and what I told you about what I was thinking. 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. and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. Jim Otto weighed 255 lbs (115 kg) when playing. He said, Football is tough. WebJim Otto is generally recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. Trafton played before the NFL enforced late-hit, roughing, or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. What do you mean by that? I didn't bite his nose, he said. Ray Lewis has won a Super Bowl MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and has earned nine Pro Bowl invitations. 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. Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris have served time on drug convictions. And with your head traumas, with the head injuries, tell me about one in particular. Romanowski played in 243 consecutive games, a record for a linebacker, and played for four Super Bowl champions. I can't really explain it to you here. 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. He spit in the face of Eagles safety Bill Bradley as he lay injured on the ground. What is the result exactly? Then we go back in. And then tell me about a good solid head hit that you remember from the NFL as well. All that action in the trenches nearly every offensive and special teams snap for a decade and a half came with a high price, however. I have sat there and thought about it. He counts three near-death experiences directly related to infections or septic shock from football-related surgeries. That was the most important thing to me. It's just a physical battle in there, that you have to do. Well, in some cases guys are heroes, and all of a sudden they're not heroes. Nothing dirty about it. Otto worked diligently to build his body up to his playing weight of 250 pounds. In the 1970 regular season (1st year of the NFL-AFL merger), Oakland scored 300 points (21.4 points/game), 9th of 26 teams in the NFL, beating the Miami Dolphins in the 1970-71 NFL playoffs before losing to the Colts. And that's why Sally and I came to the forefront Did anybody do anything for Mike Webster with Pittsburgh? 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? Unitas also has an artificial knee and will have a hip replacement soon. He was not a great linebacker. He suffered from chronic back pain due to He comes in like he's going to hit the man midsection, which there's no penalty for, and just as he hits coming in on the midsection, you'll see that ballplayer, the guy with the ball, drop his head. Jon Runyan, Tackle, Houston/Tennessee Oilers & Titans, Philadelphia Eagles (1996-present). And they'll come up with some answers. Today, he tours the country giving motivational speeches. Thats why I think Id come back and do it again.. The highly educated are hiring counselors to advise them on masking agents and certain other breakdown products. 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. Jim Strub wrote from a mountainside in Colorado. Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. And that is the bad thing. It actually has to do with Junior Seau this past year and other recent events. 34. Dick Plasman, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears & Chicago Cardinals (1937-1947). -- but we never associated that and concussions or hits with long-term brain trauma. But pro football is a brutal game, a sport that long has glorified pain and punishment. OK. He played three games with a fractured tibia. As the size increases, so does the force of the collisions. Runyan has started 180 consecutive games at right tackle, and has played in the postseason on seven occasions. Steve Sabol had the following to say about Butkus: His career stands as the most sustained work of devastation ever committed on any field of sport, anywhere, any time., Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Ronnie Lott, Cornerback & Safety, San Francisco 49ers & Los Angeles Raiders & New York Jets & Kansas City Chiefs (1981-1995). Nagurski once knocked unconscious four would-be tacklers on a kickoff return touchdown in his rookie season. You got hit in the head, and you had amnesia. "Uh-uh, can't do it," you know? The artificial surfaces are much harder than grass. I never went out of the game. Nagurski became a professional wrestler after his NFL career and was a two-time world heavyweight champion. But has it always been one of those things that's been in there that players have known about other players? He helped the Steelers win four Super Bowl titles in a six-year span in the 1970's and is probably the most important player in team history. Lawrence was Dick Butkus, but with speed and range, said John Madden, analyst for Fox television. Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne has called Wilson pound for pound the toughest player in the NFL., 31. Hitting harder than anyone else was very important to us. Well, I'm very fortunate that I can do that, because there are times that I can't remember people's names. As a 248-pound defensive end, he played in 282 consecutive games. Do you feel like the suicide thoughts are related to the pain or related to retirement? And that happened to me in college, too, so it -- each time [I] had a very sickly feeling after it had happened, you know? Jim Otto, center for the Oakland Raiders, poses on Aug. 15, 1970. OK, you started by saying that suicide is not something that people talk about in the NFL, or have [not] until fairly recently anyhow. And that's why we played. Well, the rules and regulations today have really changed football to a certain degree because of the contact rules. Team doctors injected his knees with cortisone and other high-powered drugs in 1972 and 1973, causing permanent damage, he said. Are you saying that even if you had the information you would have played? In one game, he was knocked unconscious by a 49er defender. I would say that suicide has been in the past one of the least spoken about things among players, among owners, among the NFL of anything. In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. We dont keep records, but were seeing greater numbers of psychological problems when theyre finished playing.. FactSnippet No. Theyd shoot you up, and you could get painkillers anywhere. I walked by Frank, and he was laid out. We havent seen the worst yet.. Two years later Unitas played the entire season with a broken vertebrae. He knocked the helmet off Minnesota receiver Sammy White in the Super Bowlprobably the hardest hit I have ever seen. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. It came from the relations with the game, yes. 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. I mean, we battled in there, and this is the result of it right here, sitting here, looking at you. 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. 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. Do you feel like there's an increased notoriety of players when something very bad happens like a suicide? Curtis was nicknamed The Animal and was one of the angriest men to ever play in the NFL. In one game, he knocked out the entire Washington Redskins backfield one by one. They all have the crab-like walk, and its hard to believe they were once these feared gladiators. Broke my cheekbone, and my zygomatic arch bone here, and detached the retina in my left eye, which I was blind for six months in my left eye. After no National Football League team showed interest in the undersized center, Otto signed with the Oakland Raiders of the new American Football League. Was that right? So he stayed there for the rest of the series, and then we came off, and I'm watching him because I'm the only guy who saw that he had a compound fracture. 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. WebJim Otto, Mr. I've had various different cognitive tests regarding my brain. Well, I was having a pretty good game against Carter, and Nitschke was on the sideline -- you could see that -- and he was all upset. 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.

Scentsy Ewg Rating, How Do I Remove Museum Putty, When Will Lifetime Fitness Go Back To 24 Hours, When Did The Original Little Rascals Come Out, Articles J