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| Positions | Safety Return specialist | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1947-01-04)January 4, 1947 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | October 27, 2025(2025-10-27) (aged 78) 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 (1964–1967) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: 7th round, 190th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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George Henry Atkinson II[1][2] (January 4, 1947 – October 27, 2025) was an American professionalfootball player who was asafety andreturn specialist for theOakland Raiders of theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977.[3] He playedcollege football for theMorris Brown Wolverines and was selected by the Raiders in the seventh round (190th overall) of the1968 NFL/AFL draft. He played ten seasons with the Raiders where he was known as a crucial part of the "Soul Patrol" defense of the 1970s. After his career he served as a radio and television broadcaster of the team.
George Atkinson II was born on January 4, 1947, inSavannah, Georgia.[4][5] He playedrunning back, safety, and returned punts while atSol C. Johnson High School in Savannah at a time when the school was stillsegregated. He also played basketball and ran track and field.[6] He graduated from high school in 1964.[7]
Atkinson then attendedMorris Brown College, where he pursued a social studies major.[5] He played as a free safety, but was also well known as a kick and punt returner.[8] He earned fourletters in football and three in track, and was an All-America honorable mention.[5]
Atkinson was drafted 190th overall in the1968 NFL/AFL draft. He started his career as acornerback / kick returner.[9] Facing theBuffalo Bills on September 15 during his rookie season, he scored an 86 yard touchdown on apunt return.[10] He returned five total punts during the game for 205 yards, an NFL record at the time,[11] (along with one kick return for 25 yards) in the win.[12] 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 had fourinterceptions for 66 yards and a touchdown.[1] He would do returns on and off for the next seven years to go with his defense, although never as much as before;[13] he returned 112 punts and 44 kicks combined in the years after 1968 for one total touchdown and 2,323 yards.[1]
He was named anAFL All-Star in his first two seasons in the AFL.[14] 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).[1] In 1974 he had 3 interceptions against Cleveland.[15] He ranks fifth on the Raiders all-timeinterception list with 30.[16]
Later, Atkinson became part of a formidable safety duo withJack Tatum when he was drafted in 1971.[14][17] This was part of the"Soul Patrol", the defensive backfield of the Oakland Raiders during the 1970s that was well known for its physicality. The group consisted of Atkinson, Jack Tatum,Skip Thomas, andhall of famerWillie Brown.[9][18] Atkinson spent 10 seasons with the Raiders before finishing his career with theDenver Broncos, spending one season with the team. He played in 144 games.[14]
In a regular-season game in 1976 vs. thePittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders' arch-rival, Atkinson hit an unsuspectingLynn 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 aconcussion.[3] Atkinson had also hit Swann in a similar manner in the previous season'sAFC Championship game, which also gave Swann a concussion.[3] After the second incident, Steelers' coachChuck 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]
Atkinson worked as a Raidersbroadcaster, doing the pre-game and post-game shows on both television and radio for seventeen years. He also hosted atelevision program calledBehind the Shield.[6]
Atkinson was also known for his various appearances in the media where he provided insight and perspective on "controversial" calls made against the Oakland Raiders. One notable example was theImmaculate Reception. Atkinson contended that there were three "infractions" that occurred on the play that could have changed the outcome of the game had they been called.[19]
Atkinson had nine children including twins Josh andGeorge III.[20] Atkinson was married to Denise until his death.[21] Atkinson's twin sons, George and Josh, played college football forNotre Dame. George went on to become an NFLrunning back.[14] Both Josh and George died by suicide; Josh on December 25, 2018,[22] and George (following a previoussuicide attempt shortly after Josh's death) on December 2, 2019.[2][23][24][25]
In 2010, Atkinson suffered a heart-related health episode while driving his car, bumping into a pedestrian. He was in the hospital for eight days after the incident and needed to have apacemaker installed.[17] Atkinson later died inGeorgia on October 27, 2025, at the age of 78.[14][26] He pledged to donate his brain to theConcussion Legacy Foundation to be tested forchronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[20] He had previously stated he was suffering from symptoms of the disease in a 2016 interview.[14]
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