George Atkinson, a longtime Raiders safety and broadcaster known for his toughness and hard hitting, has died at age 78.
Atkinson played for the Raiders from 1968 to 1977. He finished his career with the Denver Broncos in 1979.
No cause of death was announced by the team or family.
Atkinson, a seventh-round pick of the Raiders out of Morris Brown in 1968, had 30 interceptions in 138 games with the club.
Atkinson, a close friend and confidant of Raiders owner Mark Davis, was a longtime fixture with the club as a broadcaster and evaluator.
“The Raiders family is deeply saddened by the passing of George Atkinson, a lifelong Raider whose physical style of play helped define an era of football,” the club said Monday in a statement.
Atkinson played an integral part of the famed “Soul Patrol” secondary of the 1970s and helped lead the Raiders to five straight AFC championship games and a win in Super Bowl 11.
“George’s contributions as a friend and mentor to everyone in the Raiders organization continued long after his playing career,” the club said. “And his genuine personality and wonderful sense of humor will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him. The prayers of the Raider Nation are with … the entire Atkinson family at this time.”
This is the second loss to the Raiders’ family in four days. Carol Davis, the mother of owner Mark Davis and wife of Al Davis, died Friday at age 93.
George Atkinson’s son, George Atkinson III, played for the Raiders in 2014 and 2015. He died in 2019. Another son, Josh, died in 2018.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
