I don't like to think about what these guys are talking about with regards to concussions and how it could affect our lives. In retrospect, the story sounds fascinating, half sweet, half-terrifying. And it's not being selfish, not on my behalf being selfish because I can't do it, and I would want it. He then went on to play collegiate football at […] Otto was also the subject of 'The Jim Otto Suite', a series of three multimedia works by American contemporary artist Matthew Barney which served as a precursor to The Cremaster Cycle. She called Ryan Berry, a Placer County sheriff's deputy who had befriended the family. James Otto: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. Janet Otto, Jim's wife, said her husband started throwing messages in bottles into the Missouri River in 1976. The prosthetic leg was ready for him in early November, almost exactly a year ago. 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. Carol Davis, Al Davis’ wife of 55 years, has mastered life, got it right there under her thumb. 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. "If you want Otto to respond, just ring a bell. But has it always been one of those things that's been in there that players have known about other players? In 14 seasons of play for the Oakland Raiders, Jim Otto played had a punishing history of injuries. It just -- you know, maybe I choked a little bit and thought, oh, boy, I used to do that. "Uh-uh, can't do it," you know? AKA James Edwin Emile Otto. ... Let me ask you. My son Robert is 26 and works for a health system in New York City. That is my complete and honest feeling. There's a battle, and that battle is going on. I got upset. Former Oakland Raider legend Jim Otto hugs his wife, Sally outside their Auburn Calif., home Monday, November 19, 2007. 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. He would come and help me put up hay for my horses and stuff like that. He remembered his vow to Sally, and he told his physical therapist about the Christmas goal. Nobody is helping me. We're not the only guys. It has come upon people and hurt people for periods of time, you know? "He was very determined to get moving quickly.". He never really needed the job with the Raiders. He served as an Officer in the United States Marine Corp. from 1976 to 1980. Now, I don't think that's fair. But you're saying there are issues? Immediately everybody rushes to blame football or blame some other thing happened in their life either socially, emotionally or psychologically. Otto couldn't name all the types of infection and isn't sure what triggered them - an ingrown toenail, for all he knows. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. 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. His temperature hovered around 105 degrees for eight days that first time. He married a woman named Sally and has a daughter named Jennifer. Former Oakland Raiders and Hall of Famer Jim Otto on the red carpet during the 9th Annual NFL Honors on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. She was preceded in death by her parents. Now, the tackler is fined $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, whatever it is for a blow to the head. He worried about what he had put her through, all the hours she had spent administering antibiotics through an IV, and the endless worry. If they don't enjoy it, then they should play soccer or they should play something else. I think what they're doing, they're going to cost so much money that the owners and high schools won't be able to afford the insurance for the game and stuff like that. There was about 150 people come, and naturally I wanted to play well and everything. I haven't necessarily told them what I'm thinking. Sanger High School's football stadium is named Tom Flores Stadium in honor of Flores, who was a graduate of Sanger. The doctors, though, were in for some invective. By 11 a.m., though, they will be joined at the hip, the artificial limb and the former NFL center, and they will stay that way for 12 hours. He walks stiffly because of the artificial leg, but he remains a strapping man with a booming voice and posture that should be the envy of other 70-year-olds. I've had over 20 concussions myself, and I don't like them. He was a teacher and superintendent in nearby Amherst, Neb., but left education to build houses in 1952. Yeah, but you didn't know about -- I mean, the concussions. And from what I understand and read -- never met him -- it does sound like he played that game exactly like you described. In almost no time, he progressed to using a single-point cane. We went to Green Bay to play the Packers, and in the book I wrote that I had a big fan base from my hometown in [Wausau, Wis]. One of Jennifer's children was ill, and Sally flew to Colorado Springs to help. I don't think it's hogwash. He has to fish from flat shores or a boat. "I could be under the grass," Otto said. And it was about two days after the football game in high school my senior year. Despite in the seventies, he has maintained a perfect personality. AKA James Edwin Emile Otto. ", Sally said she replied without hesitation. Over the years, Otto had received devoted attention from his surgeon at the University of Utah hospital, but that doctor had retired. I'm over here, I had a couple dozen concussions or more, and I hurt. It was really bad. And then a year ago there were four suicides among not necessarily the best noted players but some players, and the Players Association claimed that it's been because of concussions and stuff like that. And that's what I'm doing. The guy coming down the field to cover the kickoff, the guy with the ball with the kickoff, hey, this is football. Tell me about that. When she returned, her husband was standing, waiting for her. Journalistic Guidelines There was no funny spin to put on this, so he didn't try. And I think if you were to evaluate Mike Webster, it was a matter of pride. There's so many things psychologically that can affect each and every person in this world, not just football players. Former Oakland Raiders legend Jim Otto with his wife, Sally, at their Auburn home Monday, November 19, 2007 in Auburn Calif. Otto, a medical marvel … I'm telling you about it right now: I hurt. In nine years, Otto had five life-threatening infections, which set up camp around his artificial right knee and then waged war on the rest of his body. You are fully responsible for your comments. But let them play. I love everybody, and I love to know them; I love to remember their names, but sometimes if I can't remember a name, I'm not going to fret over it and get upset. Staph is bacteria carried on the skin that can enter the body through a cut, causing an infection. So it was probably a frontal type of concussion, I don't know. I'm sure he would. A lot of things. Thank you very much. ... OK. Santa Rosa, CA July 22, 1975 - Jim Otto goes over new plays for... Wanette Foreman of Richmond gets an autograph from Raider great... Former Oakland Raider legend Jim Otto hugs his wife, … Jim could barely hear the phone, and the only thing he could sense vividly was the feeling of his dog Suzy, one of their three bichons frises, gently licking his eyelids, presumably trying to wake him. and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. Or what about if you had amnesia for two days? Martha Tyrer … Now, nobody in America knows that, like they know about the guy who had a concussion, like the guy who is in class-action suits, suing the National Football League because they had a concussion. There wasn't anybody. They want my brain at I think it's Michigan or --. And I'm sure there's a lot of studies going on with regard to what was going on with him prior to this. Jim Morrison died 49 years ago today, but The Doors frontman's death still remains shrouded in mystery all these years later. He has a good height of 6 feet 3 inch. I was depressed because I wasn't running out on the field anymore, when they announced "At center, Jim Otto." Maybe that’s wishful thinking. There were two times. Is there something about Wisconsin, or is it something about how you just approached that position itself, the center? Oh no. He had a bad feeling about what was coming. Privacy Policy They did, and he finally went home to start his rehab. Hitting harder than anyone else was very important to us. Well, I'm trying in my mind not to relate that to my situation, you know. As he awakes every morning, Jim Otto looks at his $40,000 carbon-fiber leg, decorated with the Raiders ' shield and a tiny version of his famous No. The gladiator goes until he can't go anymore. Right. In his free time, he loved to ice fish, golf, hunt and go camping. And anything that we would do, it was part of our lineage, part of our genes, part of what our family had given us, the will to be the best. And then the next game you did that snap that you're --. We hear about the concussions and talk about the big plays like cornerbacks hitting wide receivers after they've caught the ball up in the air. He didn't answer. After the third episode, the doctors recommended amputation. We will take steps to block users who repeatedly violate our commenting rules, terms of use, or privacy policies. They're no longer heroes. "It's doing great now," he said, tapping his chest and smiling. For a while after the team moved back to Oakland, even though he appeared to be a fixture in the seat next to owner Al Davis during games, he wasn't even officially on the payroll. ... Now, you were talking about Webster and how he would approach the game. When you talk about your knees, legs, those kind of things, those kinds of injuries, clearly related to football, I mean, you know when these injuries started probably and all that. 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 mean, like that disease CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] --. "As we went back and forth to Nebraska, where I … What are staph infections? James E. Otto Jr., 6 feet 1 inch and about 180 pounds, played tight end on the Yuba City High freshman team last year and was selected as the team's outstanding blocker and receiver. And so yes, he broke my helmet; he broke my face mask in here, which broke my nose and set it over here. What were your first thoughts when you started hearing those stories after his retirement? The grief seemed to shut down his immune system. He needed 74 surgeries for his football injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs. Download this stock image: Former Oakland Raiders legend Jim Otto with his wife, Sally, at their Auburn home Monday, November 19, 2007 in Auburn Calif. Otto, a medical marvel who has defied death a half dozen times, had his leg amputated and will be fitted for a prothesis. I can't perform like I used to for a lot of different things physically, but I don't think it's directly connected to the brain. I don't know anything that much about Junior. Nobody took me off the field, said, "Jim, you've got to do this." Then Otto … He had left their home in … Early years Otto played high school football at Wisconsin’s Wausau High School, under coach Win Brockmeyer. Jim married Barbara K. Christensen on October 6, 1978, in Verona. Former Oakland Raiders and Hall of Famer Jim Otto on the red carpet during the 9th Annual NFL Honors on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. In 1988, they welcomed the birth of their son, Andrew, whom Jim loved dearly. has been a licensed and practicing attorney at law since 1989. That's number one. When you looked at your wife and you didn't know who she was, like, who's this chick? I think that everything that has caused my body to be a problem has been from football, you know? Bean boots are at the cheapest price we've seen them, These Stasher bags are the best reusable bags I've ever owned. Carol Davis, Al Davis’ wife of 55 years, has mastered life, got it right there under her thumb. And sure, this hurts, but, you know -- and it can hurt somebody, but I don't think a guy should get fined for doing something he was taught to do all through high school, in college and now in the pros. Occasionally, he still feels "ghost pain" in the area of his lost leg. Yeah, just on the line, hitting each other. But I'm not out there crying about it. I look at Dave Dalby, because he used to tell me he wanted to follow me in my footsteps. I don't like concussions. Kenny George (UNC Asheville), at 7-foot-7 the tallest player in college basketball, had part of his right foot amputated a month ago as the result of a staph infection. Last year, when the amputation became inevitable, he had a new concern. He reminds himself that he has to learn new ways of doing things, because he can't turn back. 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. 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. Oct. 16, 1953-Oct. 9, 2020 MOHALL – James El- don “Jim” Otto, 66, rural Mohall, passed away at home on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, just short of his 67th birthday. But when he and Sally sold their fast-food joints, his job became more formal, which helped them hold onto vital health insurance. And that is the bad thing. I'm against all that. 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. It came from the game. And you couldn't remember. I don't want anybody to be hurt from football. You got hit in the head, and you had amnesia. Former Oakland Raiders legend Jim Otto with his wife, Sally, at their Auburn home Monday, November 19, 2007 in Auburn Calif. Otto, a medical marvel … Do you feel like there's an increased notoriety of players when something very bad happens like a suicide? Yet he is also the quintessential cautionary tale, a reminder that every second of sports glory carries an enormous risk. I've had 74 surgeries all told throughout my body, all over my body. His daughter, Jennifer, had died a year earlier at age 39, after a blood clot appeared during a hysterectomy, sending her into cardiac arrest. I just -- I know and I've told that those are the battle scars of a gladiator. And that is something that I'm dealing with. 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. Do you feel like the suicide thoughts are related to the pain or related to retirement? Berry said when he finally reached Otto, "he was in sort of an altered state. Though most are minor, some strains are particularly resistant to antibiotics. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Sally was out shopping. It came from the relations with the game, yes. A native of Cincinnati, Otte began his career at radio stations in Oxford, Hamilton and Columbus. Currently, the blessed duo is happy in their marital life. After the war, Otto and his wife, Vera, lived in Kearney, Neb., where Otto earned a bachelor's degree from Kearney State Teachers College. I mean, it's affected my life; it surely has. Was there anybody that helped Mike Webster go through rehab at that time? My wife is starting to try to convince me to do it. But I don't think you can blame it -- I don't know. He is grateful for that, and for simply being here. 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. You did though, that was during practices they would do that? It's like the way that you used to do it. 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. "That's the easy way out," he said. That's the way Mike Webster would say it, too. I've had scans of my brain, and it's been explained to me what is really wrong with my brain. He empathizes with all the young soldiers coming back home as amputees. Alone in the house, Otto could feel a fever coming on one night. I can't really explain it to you here. And then you have a guy like Junior Seau come along this last year. It is, because there's some people who ... think there's a connection between all those hits that you take and suicide, like there's a physiological connection there, you know? You seem completely with it and pulling up words and memories and having no problems at all. They didn't do that to me, but they would, they would always accuse me of that and they would razz me about it, you know? This cordless Dyson V7 is marked down $130, The L.L. She left four children behind. Now, he was being treated by a younger physician, and when he learned that there would have to be a follow-up amputation, to take the stump down a little and relieve some of the pain, Otto let the staff know, in un-sanitized terms, that they had better get it right this time. It isn't long [before] there won't be a kickoff because oh, my goodness, that guy gets the ball in the end zone and he comes running out of there so fast, he could hurt somebody, you know? But that didn't bother me that much. A phone call one night 13 years ago brought Sharon Hawkins to the stark realization that her husband was mentally ill. “I’m lost,” Wayne said plaintively to his wife. ISIS is in Afghanistan, But Who Are They Really? Well, during my career, I had a lot of hits to the head. I want you to be healthy.". FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. The first time in high school, I can't really remember anything other than coming out of amnesia and thinking, where have I been? This interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Tom Jennings on Dec. 22, 2012. ... ... What about ... when you heard about Mike Webster's decline afterward, you know? And that's the way we played. When I retired I was down. Jim Plunkett got married to his girlfriend, Gerry Plunkett after having an affair in 1982. It's just a physical battle in there, that you have to do. We are sad to announce that on August 7, 2020, at the age of 79, James Bernard Otto of Rockwall, Texas, born in Saint Louis, Missouri passed away. James Allen Otto (born July 29, 1973) is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice".Otto began his career on Mercury Nashville Records in 2002, charting three minor singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recording his debut album Days of Our Lives for the … 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 never went out of the game. When you have a blow like that, it's a concussion; there's no doubt about it. That's the way football is, and if you don't want to play it that way, we can get you playing some girls' games. 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. Was that right? 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. I'm going to be just like you, Pops." He would use it regularly and try to reclaim as much of his old life as possible. ... And with your head traumas, with the head injuries, tell me about one in particular. But when you say you don't want to make that connection, it's because you just don't want to believe that there is that connection? I drank a gallon of water a day for a month to see the... Don't wait until next week to order Valentine's Day gifts, Here’s why experts are losing faith in cloth masks. I don't have knees anymore. I mean, in the line it's war. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation, the John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, the Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 00 jersey. Discussing certain elements of his health problems made Otto very somber: the fear Sally has had to cope with, the gloomy emotions that came with losing his leg and a deep concern for younger people going through various stages of what he has already endured. And I wanted to be a help to David. 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? His wife assured him that that hadn't happened. You're taught to lead with your head. No. She awoke in the darkness of three a.m. and put more ice on his legs. And that's why Sally and I came to the forefront ... Did anybody do anything for Mike Webster with Pittsburgh? ... ... Now, when you're telling, I guess it was maybe in your book, that you talked about the hit that you took from Ray Nitschke, when you -- I guess it was your nose. But I don't think it's that important, you know, to remember someone's name. Right. How many steps do you actually need to walk in a day? Other reported cases, according to a Time magazine article last week: Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios missed the 2006 All-Star Game with staph; NBA players Paul Pierce, Grant Hill and Drew Gooden had it; a California high school wrestler died from it this summer; a 2005 survey indicated 13 of 32 NFL teams had a player contract it in recent years; and in college football the 2005 Florida Gators and 2003 USC Trojans reported multiple cases. I mean, they used to tease me that instead of having the quarterback go "Hut one, hut two," they'd have a little bell, ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, you know, and Otto, you go on the third ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, like a punch-drunk fighter or something --. PBS Terms of Use Contact FRONTLINE They together have a son and a daughter named Jim Jr. Plunkett and Meghan Plunkett. And when he drops his head, he drops his head right to the spot where the tackler is coming in with his head and shoulders. ... ... 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? There were so many times that I would walk off the field and my eyes would be crossed. 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 we were together a lot. I think I'm going and continuing to do the best I can with what I had, and I'm going to do that till I can't. I was hitting him with such force, and he was coming at me with such force that this is what happened. I know that I went to war, and I came out of the battle with what I got, and that's the way it is. I think so. He and his wife, Amy Alderson, had their first chid, daughter Ava Katherine, on August 24, 2010. Personal life In 1961 Flores married Barbara Fridell. Jim Otto (1960-74) “I don’t think anything is done until it’s done. Well, I'm very fortunate that I can do that, because there are times that I can't remember people's names. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. Jim Otto is the “go to” person for issues that have – or could have – an impact on the operations of the members of the Nebraska Restaurant Association. It's more retirement I think than anything else. Jim Otto : biography January 5, 1938 – James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938) is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. What's going on? And it bothers me. No. But a lot of guys no longer get the "Hey, Joe, how you doing. " He tries to make sure that someone is with him at all times, in case he falls. Jim was born in St. Paul, Minnesota It's like cutting their leg off, let's say. ... Do you associate Dalby and Webster's post-career declines and troubles with the hard-hitting nature of the game? He grew up in Anderson with his sister, Judy Laughlin and was a graduate of Anderson High School. Prior to his election, he served as the Council Member representing the 50th Council District (Mid-Island and a small portion of Brooklyn) since 1999. I said why isn't there somebody taking care of him? Jim Otto Enshrinement Speech 1980. Where are you?," you know, and I didn't know where the hell I was. Now, the amnesia one, that was before the NFL, is that right? 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. I have issues, yes, I have issues. Jim Otto, 78, of Anderson passed away Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, at the same place he was born at, surrounded by his family's love at his bedside. ... And so these thoughts that have come through your head are fairly recent then? After football, he owned a walnut orchard, five successful Burger King franchises, a piece of a bank and an office building. Is that what you're saying? He can still fish and hunt, but not the way he did before. I wanted to play well every week, no matter what, but in this game, we started out with Jim Carter in the middle. Associated With. As he awakes every morning, Jim Otto looks at his $40,000 carbon-fiber leg, decorated with the Raiders' shield and a tiny version of his famous No. Jim Otto Enshrinement speech. And playing with concussions, playing with other problems that we did play with, never coming off the field --. ", More often, he sticks to pragmatism and gratitude. My wife, Kristen, has worked in communications and public policy in health care. I don't make want to make excuses. Jim Otto. It all swelled up, and I couldn't see, but I kept playing. He was middle linebacker for the Packers. Does that take a certain temperament? He doesn't know what to make of the apparent increase in infections among this generation of athletes, especially the drug-resistant strains of staph. This summer, a surgeon pried Otto's sternum open and worked on his heart, which had been damaged by all the infections that claimed his right leg. -- but we never associated that and concussions or hits with long-term brain trauma.