AUBURN, Calif. — Jim Otto, an Oakland Raiders great and Auburn resident, has died at 86.
The Las Vegas Raiders confirmed his passing Sunday night.
“The personification of consistency, Jim’s influence on the American Football League and professional football as a whole cannot be overstated,” the Raiders said in a statement. “His leadership and tenacity were a hallmark of the dominant Raider teams of the 1960s and 70s, and his ferocious work ethic and talent enabled him to start a remarkable 210 consecutive league games for the Oakland Raiders.”
Otto handled the first snap in Raiders franchise history, was named the started center on the AFL all-time team and was selected to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary team in 2019.
Otto was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, but the Auburn resident was also known around the Sacramento area for charitable endeavors.
According to UC Davis, Otto led a major initiative to expand the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and boost its research support. He and his wife pledged financial support to the center and used Otto’s star power to inspire others into giving.
“Jim was a man whose words and actions epitomized the motto ‘Commitment to Excellence,’ the Raiders said. “The sincerest prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with his wife Sally, his son Jim Jr. and wife Leah, and his 14 grandchildren – Alice, Sarah, Amy, Amanda, Josiah, Hannah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jennifer, Avery, Noah, Aiden, Roman and Ellie.”
