George Atkinson| No. 43 |
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| Position: |
SS |
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| Personal information |
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| Date of birth: |
(1947-01-04) January 4, 1947 |
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| Place of birth: |
Savannah, Georgia |
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| Height: |
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
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| Weight: |
180 lb (82 kg) |
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| Career information |
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| College: |
Morris Brown |
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| NFL draft: |
1968 / Round: 7 / Pick: 190 |
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| Career history
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Player stats at PFR |
George "Butch" Henry Atkinson Jr. (born January 4, 1947) is a former professional American football player. He played football collegiately at Morris Brown, where he was a safety and a kick returner and professionally in the American Football League and National Football League for the Oakland Raiders from 1968 to 1977.[1] He was a member of the Raiders' Super Bowl XI championship team.
As a player
Atkinson set the Raiders' single-game record for punt return yardage in 1968, with 205 yards against Buffalo. He ranks fifth on the Raiders all-time interception list with 30.
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.[1] Atkinson had also hit Swann in a similar manner in the previous season's AFC Championship game, which also gave Swann a concussion.[1] After the second incident, Steeler's 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.[1]
Today
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 slanted perspective on the many "controversial" calls made against the Oakland Raiders. Some examples are: 1) Perhaps the most controversial call - the Immaculate Reception - Atkinson points out that it was a dead ball because of the "double touch" rule, and because Raider's linebacker, Phil Villapiano, was "clipped". 2) Atkinson points out that the Tuck Rule had never been used until it was used against the Raiders in the 2001 AFC divisional playoff game and never used again (the Tuck Rule was abolished on March 20, 2013).
Personal
Atkinson has nine children, Craig who graduated from the US Naval Academy, Michele who has a Law Degree from Hastings, Maria (Deshell), Jerry who is retired Army, Angela, Maya, Brittany who graduated from Temple University, Josh who went on to play football for Notre Dame and '''George Atkinson III''' who also played football at Notre Dame and is currently a member of the Oakland Raiders.
See also
References