Wausau native Jim Otto, legendary Raiders center, dies at age 86

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the spelling of the spelling of Tom Yelich's name.

WAUSAU - Jim Otto, a tough guy with a deep faith who went on to become an NFL Hall of Fame center, died Sunday at age 86.

Wearing his can't-miss-it "00" jersey, the Wausau native anchored a legendary Oakland Raiders offensive line from 1960 to 1974, racking up 12 Pro Bowl selections and an appearance in Super Bowl 2, according to USA TODAY. He never missed a game in his career, making 210 consecutive regular-season starts and 13 additional playoff appearances.

Otto paid a steep price to earn the nickname "Mr. Raider." In an interview with the Wausau Daily Herald in 1999, Otto said he had undergone 38 major surgeries, including six operations to replace his knees and two to put in artificial shoulders. He suffered through life-threatening infections associated with the surgeries. He also had prostate cancer in 2002.

Still, he said, he would to it all again.

"Let me say this to you," Otto said, "every time I can look into the eyes of someone who wants an autograph and they tell me that their grandfather told them I was the greatest, that to me is significant."

After playing at Wausau High School, Otto went on to compete for the University of Miami in Florida. He signed with the Oakland Raiders and "and took the first snap in franchise history," according to a Las Vegas Raiders statement on Otto's death.

"'00' was the foundation piece of a transcendent offensive line that not only propelled the Raiders to success on the field but resonated with fans and helped build the Raiders persona and mystique," the statement said.

Otto returned to Wausau in the fall of 1980 to attend a banquet held in his honor after he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, according to the Wausau Daily Herald.

"I've always mentioned Wausau wherever I go, because these are my roots right here," he told the crowd, according to the newspaper. "Wausau is the root of my raising. It's been great for me to be from Wausau and great to have people who put in the time with me. This is why I am where I am today."

When he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1980, Otto said he didn't want to be anything other than an NFL player. "It was at the age of 11 while listening to a football game on the radio that I told my grandfather that someday I was going to be a professional football player."

Not all dreams come true, Otto said. "It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of pride and above all, a lot of faith and prayer," he said.

His high school years "were tough," he added, but he persevered and received help and guidance to make his dreams come true. He thanked his parents, his minister and coaches Tom Yelich — "The best teacher of line fundamentals that I have ever seen," and Win Brockmeyer — "a great builder of character."

Another NFL Hall of Famer from Wausau, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, also played under Brockmeyer, Otto said.

Otto's legacy in Wausau carried on long after he left the city to pursue his dreams.

A longtime friend of Otto's, Jim Zillman, founder of Zillman's Meat Market, told the Wausau Daily Herald in 2006 that Otto had "always been a gentleman and been involved in our church when he's here. He's a hard worker and man of integrity. What more can you say?"

Keith Uhlig is a regional features reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin based in Wausau. Contact him at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Jim Otto dies, Wausau native, Hall of Fame center for Oakland Raiders