Hall of Fame center Jim Otto, 'Mr. Raider,' dies at 86 - ESPN

Jim Otto, a Pro Football Hall of Famer center whose iconic No. 00 jersey anchored the middle of the Oakland Raiders' offensive line for 15 seasons, has died at the age of 86.

The Raiders, who moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, announced his death Sunday night, calling him «The Original Raider.» The cause of death was not immediately known.

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To say that Otto was the dominant center of his era — some would argue any era — would be an understatement. From the time he first crouched over the ball in the Raiders' first game in the new AFL in 1960, no one else would start at center for Oakland until Otto retired after the 1974 season.

«I had always done my best for the Raiders playing center, and it was a very good feeling to know I had accomplished that,» Otto told ESPN in 2019.

He was the only All-AFL center in the league's entire existence from 1960 to 1969, and he was one of only three players who played in all 140 AFL regular-season games (George Blanda and Gino Cappelletti were the others).

Otto, who wore No. 50 during his first season in Oakland before switching to 00, also was selected to the Pro Bowl in the first three years after the AFL-NFL merger. He was first-team All-Pro 10 times.

«I've often looked at being a football player as being a gladiator,» Otto told Bleacher Report in 2009. «There's something inside of you that says, 'I want to go out there and prove my worth.' Most of the time you're going to get injuries. That's the life you choose. Some people need a challenge in life and they play hockey or rugby. Football was the way I could prove myself.»

Despite a long list of injuries, Otto never missed a game in 15 years. But those injuries did eventually come at a cost, as he