George Atkinson (safety)

Last updated

George Atkinson
No. 43, 47
Position: Safety
Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1947-01-04) January 4, 1947 (age 77)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school: Sol C. Johnson (Savannah)
College: Morris Brown
NFL draft: 1968  / round: 7 / pick: 190
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career AFL/NFL statistics
Interceptions:30
Interception yards:448
Fumble recoveries:13
Defensive touchdowns:4
Return yards:3,140
Return touchdowns:3
Player stats at PFR

George Henry Atkinson II [1] [2] (born January 4, 1947) [1] is an American former professional football player who was a safety and return specialist for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. [3] He played college football at Morris Brown and was selected by the Raiders in the seventh round (190th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft.

Contents

Playing career

Atkinson started his career in 1968 with the Raiders as a cornerback / kick returner. Facing the Buffalo Bills on September 15, he scored the first touchdown of the game on a punt return for 86 yards. He returned five total punts during the game for 205 yards, an NFL Record at the time. (along with one kick for 25 yards) in the win. [4] On offense for the season, he returned 36 punts for 490 yards and two touchdowns (all AFL highs) while returning 32 kicks for 802 yards. On defense, he picked four passes off for 66 yards and a touchdown. He would do returns on and off for the next seven years to go with his defense, although never as much as before; he returned 112 punts and 44 kicks combined in the years after 1968 for one total touchdown and 2,323 yards.

He made the Pro Bowl that year along with the following season. In that one, he had two interceptions along with one for a touchdown. He would average around three interceptions in every season he played, having as many as 4 (1971, 1972, 1974–1975) and as little as 2 (1969, 1977). In 1974 he had 3 interceptions against Cleveland, a Raiders record at the time. He ranks fifth on the Raiders all-time interception list with 30. [5]

In a regular-season game in 1976 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders' arch-rival, Atkinson hit an unsuspecting Lynn Swann in the back of the head with a forearm smash, even though the ball had not been thrown to Swann. The hit rendered Swann unconscious with a concussion. [3] Atkinson had also hit Swann in a similar manner in the previous season's AFC Championship game, which also gave Swann a concussion. [3] After the second incident, Steelers' coach Chuck Noll referred to Atkinson as part of the "criminal element" in football. Atkinson subsequently filed a $2 million defamation lawsuit against Noll and the Steelers, which Atkinson lost. [3]

Broadcasting career

Atkinson currently works as a Raiders broadcaster, doing the pre-game and post-game shows. He also hosts a television program called Behind the Shield. Since 2008, Atkinson has been a major spokesperson for "The Clothing Broker", a warehouse-style clothing store in Oakland, California. He also appears regularly on NFL Network "Top 10" shows that involve the Raiders, providing insight and his perspective on the many "controversial" calls made against the Oakland Raiders. Some examples are: 1) Perhaps the most controversial call - the Immaculate Reception - Atkinson contends that it was a dead ball because of the "double touch" rule (i.e., a Steelers player came into contact with the football while the pass was in the air), that the football also touched the ground before being scooped up by Steelers' Franco Harris and thus the play should have been ruled as an incomplete pass, and because Raiders' linebacker, Phil Villapiano, was illegally blocked ("clipped") during Harris's resulting game clinching touchdown run; 2) Atkinson stated that the Tuck Rule had never been used until it was used against the Raiders in the 2001 AFC divisional playoff game (it actually came into play during an earlier game, also involving the Patriots, that same 2001 season) and never used again (the Tuck Rule was abolished on March 20, 2013).

Personal life

Atkinson's twin sons, George III and Josh, played college football for Notre Dame. George III went on to become an NFL running back.

Both George III and Josh died prematurely; Josh died by suicide on December 25, 2018, [6] and George III died of unannounced causes (following a suicide attempt shortly after Josh's death) on December 2, 2019. [2] [7] George's death was later also ruled a suicide. [8] [9]

Atkinson's former significant other, Michelle Martin, the mother of George III and Josh, had severe mental illness as well and was institutionalized during the twins' childhood. She died October 24, 2018, shortly before Josh died, from complications of Crohn's disease. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl III</span> Third AFL–NFL Championship Game

Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name "Super Bowl". Super Bowl III is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in both American football history and in the history of professional sports. The 19 1⁄2- points underdog American Football League (AFL) champion New York Jets defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Baltimore Colts by a score of 16–7.

The second AFL–NFL World Championship Game was an American football game played on January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The National Football League (NFL)'s defending champion Green Bay Packers defeated American Football League (AFL) champion Oakland Raiders by the score of 33–14. This game and the following year's are the only two Super Bowls played in the same stadium in consecutive seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl IX</span> 1975 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl IX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1974 season. The game was played on January 12, 1975, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Steelers defeated the Vikings by the score of 16–6 to win their first Super Bowl championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl X</span> 1976 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl X was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1975 season. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 21–17 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. They were the third team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It was also the first Super Bowl in which both participating teams had previously won a Super Bowl, as the Steelers were the defending champions and the Cowboys had won Super Bowl VI.

Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for its 1976 season. The Raiders defeated the Vikings by the score of 32–14 to win their first Super Bowl. The game was played on January 9, 1977, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. This remains the earliest scheduled calendar date for a Super Bowl; and the most recent Super Bowl to begin before 4:00 p.m. ET.

Daryle Pasquale Lamonica was an American professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Lamonica was drafted by the NFL Green Bay Packers in round 12 with the 168th overall pick. He spent his first four seasons mostly as a backup for the Buffalo Bills, who selected him in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL Draft. Lamonica played his next eight seasons as the primary starter of the Raiders, including after they joined the NFL through the AFL–NFL merger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Blanda</span> American football player (1927–2010)

George Frederick Blanda was an American professional football quarterback and placekicker who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Woodson</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Roderick Kevin Woodson is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12). He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.

For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions.

The National Football League playoffs for the 1975 season began on December 27, 1975. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X, 21–17, on January 18, 1976, at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Robert Dean Boyd was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Boyd spent his entire nine-year career as a cornerback for the Baltimore Colts from 1960 to 1968. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

In each year of its ten-year existence (1960–1969), numerous sports-news services named their choice for the American Football League's best first-year player. UPI selected a rookie for each of the ten seasons, while the Associated Press did selections from 1961 to 1966, which ended up with the same selections that UPI made. In 1967, AP instead selected Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Years for the AFL, with the offensive choices matching the UPI selection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Sample</span> American football player (1937–2005)

John B. Sample Jr. was an American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts (1958–1960), Pittsburgh Steelers (1961–1962), and Washington Redskins (1963–1965), and in the American Football League (AFL) for the New York Jets (1966–1968), winning three league championships.

The 1967 AFL Championship Game was the eighth American Football League championship game, played on December 31 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.

The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 42nd in the National Football League (NFL). They improved to a 10–3–1 regular-season record, won the AFC Central division title, sending them to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and won a Super Bowl championship, the first league title in Steelers' history. This was the first of six consecutive AFC Central division titles for the Steelers, and the first of four Super Bowl championships in the same time period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 San Diego Chargers season</span> NFL team season

The 1966 Season was the 7th season for the San Diego Chargers as a professional American Football League (AFL) franchise; the team failed to improve on their 9–2–3 record from 1965. In the team's final season at Balboa Stadium, the Chargers went 7–6–1 and finished in third place in the AFL West Division. They would move to San Diego Stadium for the following season. It was the first season to feature an AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now known as the Super Bowl. San Diego began the season among the favorites to represent the AFL in the historic game, but faded after a 4–0 start, winning only three more times in the remaining ten games.

The 1968 AFL Championship Game was the ninth annual title game of the American Football League, played on December 29 at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York City, New York. In a rematch of the notorious Heidi Game played earlier in the season, the New York Jets (11–3) of the Eastern Division hosted the defending champion Oakland Raiders (12–2) of the Western Division. Although the Raiders had the better record, the Jets were slight favorites. The Raiders had hosted a tiebreaker playoff game the week before against the Kansas City Chiefs (12–2) to determine the Western Division champion, while the Eastern champion Jets won their division outright and thus were idle.

The 1970 AFC Championship Game was the inaugural title game of the American Football Conference (AFC). Played on January 3, 1971, the game was hosted by the AFC East champion Baltimore Colts who played the AFC West champion Oakland Raiders at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Along with the 1970 NFC Championship Game played on the same day, this game constituted the penultimate round of the 1970–71 NFL playoffs which had followed the 1970 regular season of the National Football League.

The 1975 AFC Championship Game was the sixth title game of the American Football Conference (AFC). Played on January 4, 1976, the game was hosted by the AFC Central champion and defending AFC and Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers who, in a rematch of the 1974 title game, played the AFC West champion Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with the 1975 NFC Championship Game played on the same day, this game constituted the penultimate round of the 1975–76 NFL playoffs which had followed the 1975 regular season of the National Football League (NFL).

References

  1. 1 2 "George Atkinson Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Peterson, Gary (December 3, 2019). "George Atkinson III, former Raider and son of team legend, dead at 27". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "An Old Raider's Old-School Values". The New York Times . December 7, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills - September 15th, 1968 | Pro-Football-Reference.com".
  5. ↑ "Las Vegas/LA/Oakland Raiders Career Defense Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com".
  6. ↑ "George Atkinson III Opened Up About 'Pain' He Felt Over Brother's Suicide Just Before Death". Peoplemag. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Oakland Raiders running back George Atkinson III dies at 27". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 3, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bracken, Kassie; Branch, John; Laffin, Ben; Lieberman, Rebecca; Ward, Joe (November 17, 2023). "They Started Playing Football as Young as 6. They Died in Their Teens and Twenties With C.T.E." The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Column: A terrible new national epidemic — 'post-football death'". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Michelle Martin". Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home. October 24, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.