Hines Ward played wide receiver, tailback, quarterback, and punt returner in college. Back then, owners would do anything to maximize their payrolls to win the war games. Most of these players are young, and they feel invincible, said Stuart Fishelman, a Baltimore doctor who provides sports psychology services. I mean, it's affected my life; it surely has. Lewis is one of the greatest playmakers and natural team leaders the game has ever seen. But a lot of guys no longer get the "Hey, Joe, how you doing. " Butkus was a turnover machine and earned eight Pro Bowl selections in his nine seasons. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. During the 1980s, Otto was involved in numerous business ventures. He owned numerous Burger King Restaurants near Sacramento, California until the early 1990s. In 1997, Otto's daughter, Jennifer, a 39-year-old mother of four, died from a blood clot. No. For the next 15 years, he was a fixture at center for the Oakland Raiders, never missing a single game due to injury. The average weight for a lineman on the Colts championship teams in 1958 and 1959 was 240 pounds. We're going to get a broken leg, a broken shoulder or something, but I'm going to hit you like nobody else. 190-pound linebacker Hardy Brown was the hardest-hitting player who ever lived. It was Dave Dalby. Are you saying that even if you had the information you would have played? We reserve the right to not post comments that are more than 400 words. He led the Eagles to championships in 1949 and 1960. And he hung with me. Jim Otto Injuries and Surgeries Otto punished his body greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 40 surgeries, including 28 knee operations (nine of them during his You say that I come up with words. I don't make want to make excuses. 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. Favre has earned three MVP awards and led the Packers to a championship in 1996. Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. jim Otto punished his body greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 40 surgeries, including 28 knee operations (nine of them during his playing career alone) and multiple joint replacements. He played five more games before the loose bone mass was removed. Deacon Jones, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams & San Diego Chargers & Washington Redskins (1961-1974), The NFL's unofficial record-holder with 26 sacks in the 1967 season, Deacon coined the term sack. Jones said that toughness is defined not by playing through pain, but by avoiding pain in the first place. In his book, "The Pain of Glory" Otto described near-death experiences from medical procedures, including fighting off three life-threatening infections due to complications from his artificial joints He retired from the Arena Football League in 1992. Dick Plasman, Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears & Chicago Cardinals (1937-1947). Jim Otto, Center, Oakland Raiders (1960-1974), Otto played fifteen seasons and never missed a game, despite 10 broken noses and over 40 back, knee, and shoulder operations, including 28 to his knees alone. Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory 16. Jim Otto starred for the Oakland Raiders, but his roots were in Wausau, Wisconsin.
