Former Oakland Raiders safety George Atkinson, who helped the team win five straight AFC championship games, has died, the team announced. He was 78 years old.
Atkinson’s cause of death has not been released.
Atkinson was a seventh-round draft pick of the Raiders in 1968. In his first two seasons with the Raiders and then in the AFL, he was named an AFL All-Star as a cornerback and kick returner. He was also the 1968 AFL Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
A member of the Raiders’ current broadcast team, Atkinson helped lead the Raiders to a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
“George’s contributions as a friend and mentor to everyone in the Raiders organization continued long after his playing career, and his genuine personality and wonderful sense of humor will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” the Raiders said in a statement.
In 10 seasons with the Raiders (1968-77), Atkinson threw 30 interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, in 138 games (126 starts). After not playing in 1978, he returned in 1979 to play six games with the Denver Broncos.
Atkinson’s son, George III, played 21 games as a running back in the NFL with the Raiders and Cleveland Browns, gaining 34 total yards on seven carries with one touchdown. George III committed suicide in 2019, while another son, Josh, committed suicide in 2018.
–Field level media
