George Atkinson, the last member of the Oakland Raiders’ famed “Soul Patrol,’ a hard-hitting, rule-bending defensive backfield that terrorized the NFL in the 1970s, has died, the team announced Monday. He was 78.
No cause of death was announced, but Atkinson revealed to the Bay Area News Group in 2016 that he was suffering from the effects of CTE.
Atkinson’s crowning achievement during a sometimes controversial 11-year NFL career included helping the Raiders win the first of their three Super Bowls, when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 1977.
Like many former beloved Raiders players, Atkinson found a home with the organization after his playing days. He remained close friends with Raiders owner Mark Davis and Atkinson also served on the Raiders’ announcing team for years.
“The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of George Atkinson, a life-long Raider whose physical style of play helped define an era of football,” the Raiders said in a statement. “George’s contributions as a friend and mentor to everyone in the Raiders organization continued long after his playing career, and his genuine personality and wonderful sense of humor will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.”
Atkinson’s later years, however, were also filled with unspeakable tragedy as both of his twin sons, George III and Josh, died 11 months apart. Both had been high school stars at Livermore’s Granada High before playing at Notre Dame. Josh died on Christmas Day in 2018 at 26 years old, and George III, who followed in his father’s footsteps as an Oakland Raider in 2014, died in November 2019 at 27. Both took their own lives.
Their father, George Atkinson, spent his entire career playing an aggressive, menacing style of football that belied his smallish 6-foot, 180-pound frame. Although a contradiction in terms, he played safety with the Raiders along with Jack Tatum, a no-nonsense, maniacal tackler who was nicknamed “The Assassin.”
Atkinson and Tatum teamed with Raiders cornerbacks Willie Brown and Skip Thomas, aka “Dr. Death,” to form a fearsome foursome that caused nightmares for opposing receivers.
“There was nothing like them,” said Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton of the Raiders’ “Soul Patrol.” “In 1979, the NFL created the five-yard chuck rule because of Atkinson, Tatum, Brown, Thomas and the Raiders. Wide Receivers could not get off the line of scrimmage against them. Atkinson and Tatum and the rest of the gang were so physical and strong that I’d have to wait and hope my guys could get open before I got killed.”
Tarkenton and his Minnesota Vikings, of course, felt the Raiders’ wrath on January afternoon in Pasadena when Oakland trounced them in Super Bowl XI.
Although undersized and somewhat overlooked, Atkinson turned out to be quite a bargain for the Raiders after being drafted in the seventh round out of tiny Morris Brown in 1968. He was the American Football League’s co-Defensive Rookie of the Year and went on to make two All-Star game appearances while helping Oakland to five straight AFC Championship game appearances.
At times, Atkinson’s toughness led to ugly incidents on the field, such as the time he knocked out Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann in the 1976 season opener by clubbing him on the back of the neck.
Coach Chuck Noll of the Steelers said Atkinson was part of pro football’s “criminal element.” For his part, Atkinson made no apologies for the way he played.
“I just played the game the way I thought it was meant to be played,” Atkinson said.
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Atkinson relished the role of an intimidator as he was the biggest trash talker of the Raiders’ vaunted defensive backfield. In addition to his hits against Swann, Atkinson wasn’t afraid to challenge much bigger opponents, including the time he broke New England Patriots tight end Russ Francis’ nose with a vicious forearm hit during a game.
Another Hall of Fame wide receiver, former Miami Dolphins great Paul Warfield, said receivers exercised extreme caution against Oakland’s “Soul Patrol.”
“When you went over the middle against Oakland and didn’t account for Tatum and Atkinson, you would not be in the game long without being carried off the field.”
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Oakland Raiders celebrate their win of Super Bowl XI against the Vikings in 1977 in Pasadena. From left: Neal Colzie (20), John Matuszak (72), Phil Villapiano (41), George Atkinson (43) and Ted Hendricks (83). (Ron Riesterer/Bay Area News Group Archives)
