Oakland Raiders: Jim Otto Interview

A Just Blog Baby interview with Oakland Raiders legend, Jim Otto.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting the Raider Great and Hall of Famer, Jim Otto. He was at an autograph show and was gracious enough to give me a few minutes of his time for some questions to post here on Just Blog Baby. He was great to me and my son. He was rocking a dope Raiders prosthetic leg. Here is the transcript of our chat.

Brazy – Mr. Jim Otto, what is your most memorable moment as a Raider?

Jim Otto – Well, I think when you have a career like I did, there are a lot of memorable moments. There were some great victories that we participated in. I played in Super Bowl II which was very big, I played in 13 Pro Bowls. I mean, all of that is just an exciting thing for me. I was a kid just like your Marcus, you know and I got to do all that. It was a thrill for me, it was a dream come true. I lived my dreams you know. So I have to just answer that, which were just great things in my life that I appreciate very much.

B – What about Al Davis. What memory stands out in your mind about Mr. Al Davis?

JO – He was a very loyal man. You gave him 100%, 105%, he would give you anything you wanted. Once you got to that level with him, it was a great feeling. Because you were able to make him happy. That’s the main thing I would do. If I came off a football field after a game and we had lost, maybe I didn’t play to0 well. He wasn’t very happy. So every time I played the game, I played not only to satisfy him and myself, but to satisfy everybody around me. He was a guy that a lot of us guys loved him, very much.

B – Have you spent much time with Mark Davis?

JO – I’ve spent a little bit of time with him. Every day I hope that he’s going to be making the right decisions, you know, thinking about what would be best for Oakland, for the Raiders, for everybody, all the fans. You know, we have tremendous fans all over the country. I think he’s doing a real good job for a young man, he’s got some advisors. He asks me every now and then what I think on things. So I enjoy the fact that he’s asking me and I’m giving him my two cents and very possibly I’m a part of his decisions.

B – A lot of people talk about the difference between those two, I get it, X’s and O’s, there probably worlds apart. Has there been anything in Mark Davis that you’ve seen that’s like Al Davis?

JO – Well, he’s very much like his father. He’ll study everything before he makes a decision. He’ll make sure he’s making the right decision. With that in mind, that makes him another Al Davis, basically. It’s a great thing. He’s a good man. A good football man.

I’d like to thank Mr. Otto for being so kind and inviting. A special thanks to Bruce (I believe that was his name), he was responsible for bringing Mr. Otto out to Las Vegas. Hopefully he can bring more Raiders to Vegas in the near future. It was awesome to meet and speak with Mr. Otto, definitely a day I won’t forget.