In His Own Words, How Raiders' Great Jim Otto Wanted to Be Remembered

In one of his last interviews, I asked the great Jim Otto how he wanted to be remembered, and after his passing yesterday, it will move you.

Dec 6, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders former center and pro football hall of fame 1980 | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Our nation lost a hero early Sunday morning, the great Jim Otto.

His football accolades continue for pages, but his shadow is cast over the game America embraces and loves.

I had the privilege of conducting one of his last interviews. It was a thrill for this reporter from the Midwest who wasn’t old enough to watch him play.

My father did. A warrior who served our nation faithfully in the United States Navy, my father revered Jim Otto and the toughness he displayed.

I asked Otto how he wanted to be remembered when his time was up. His answer was amazing, and his humility shone through.

“So much has been said already.”  Otto loved to talk about the game, his faith, and his family but was not one to brag about himself.  He continued.

“I played football because I loved the game.  I did everything I could to win.  People knew that, and that was my belief.  I wanted people to respect me, and that is way it is.”

He finished our interview by describing what being a Raider meant to him. One of the greatest ever, he couldn’t help but demonstrate his well-known humility, talking about others and not himself.

“The greatness of the Raiders is what I enjoy.  There is so many of the players that we have are great Raiders.  I look at some of the young great ones, and I think, gosh, I wish I was on that guy’s team.  I would really like to play with him.  So when you have every guy in the world trying to play with the Raiders, it’s a great feeling.  I loved it very much, and it was what I cherished most in my life.”

America lost a hero, and the Raiders lost an Icon, but to all of us who got to know Otto, watched him, or were influenced by him, he impacted us.

A terrific husband, a devoted father, a great football player, and a man of faith.

Otto told us how he wanted to be remembered, and we will remember him just like he said.

You can listen to the interview with Otto below.

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