50 Days to Miami football: Jim Otto Pro Football HoF

Jim Otto was a legendary player for the Miami football program in the late 1950s as a linebacker and center.

Jim Otto came to the Miami football program from Wausau, Wisconsin. Otto played center and linebacker for the Hurricanes in the late 1950s. Otto is a legendary Miami Hurricane. After three seasons with Miami Otto joined the Oakland Raiders for their inaugural season in the American Football League in 1960.

Otto wore number 50 in his rookie season as he did while matriculating in Coral Gables. From his second season on, Otto wore number 00. A 2008 inductee into the Miami Football Ring of Honor, Otto was originally supposed to return to his home region and play for the Minnesota Franchise in the AFL.

After Minnesota was awarded the Vikings expansion franchise in the NFL the ownership group for the Minnesota AFL franchise abdicated their ownership. The AFL went elsewhere and Otto wound up in Oakland. Otto started all 14 games during his rookie season in 1960 and all 210 games during his 15-year career through 1974.

Ott was named first-team All-AFL all 10 years the league was in existence and as the center of the AFL’s all-time team. Otto and the Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship and played in Superbowl II losing to his home state Green Bay Packers. The multiple honors Otto received throughout his career are below.

"3× Pro Bowl (1970–1972)2× First-team All-Pro (1970, 1971)Second-team All-Pro (1972)AFL champion (1967)9× AFL All-Star (1961–1969)10× First-team All-AFL (1960–1969)AFL All-Time TeamNFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team"

Otto became the first Miami football alum inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 1960. During an appearance back in Miami in 2011,

Otto spoke about the honor of being the first Hurricanes alum inducted into Canton

. Eight Hurricanes have subsequently followed Otto into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"“I’m proud to be a leader. I was the first Hurricane to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I’m very proud of it. People ask me about it and I’m very proud to say, `yes, that was me.’ “"

Otto held the all-time NFL record for consecutive games played when he retired, a result that has since been passed nine times. More than 40 years after his career ended, Otto was named one of four centers on the NFL’s 100th-anniversary team. In 2012 Otto appeared as part of the PBS Frontline document “League of Denial.”

Otto spoke about the rule changes the NFL has instituted over the years to make the NFL safer, the numerous concussions and surgeries he had and how they affected him and his peers. Otto also spoke about the amputation of his leg and the loss of cognitive ability. Otto is a throwback player and the best number 50 in Miami history.