A fullback/linebacker for the Tigers from 1962-64, Otto was team captain, all-Big Eight Conference and honorable mention all-America as a senior. He went on to stardom with the Oakland Raiders from 1965-72. He was a starter his entire career and played in the AFL All-Star Game in 1969. Otto played in Super Bowl II and was a member of Raider teams that won the AFL championship in 1967, and finished second in 1966, ‘69 and ‘70 (AFC). Otto made an immediate impression as a rookie in 1965, when he intercepted three passes and returned two for touchdowns. One was a 68-yard return that helped the Raiders beat the Broncos, 28-20, in Denver. Not surprisingly, Otto was selected to the 1965 all-AFL rookie team. In 1967, he was a member of the “Eleven Angry Men,” which Oakland’s defense became known as that season. That defense led the AFL and racked up 67 sacks, a club record. Among the other defensive starters for Oakland in that year’s Super Bowl were end Ben Davidson, cornerback Willie Brown, and a strong safety named Warren Powers, who became head coach at Missouri in 1978 and became one of Otto’s closest friends. A native of St. Louis, Otto was elected to Mizzou’s all-century team in 1990, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
