George Atkinson

George Henry Atkinson II He played college football for the Morris Brown Wolverines and was selected by the Raiders in the seventh round (190th overall) of the 1968 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.

Early life and college George Atkinson II was born on January 4, 1947, in Savannah, Georgia. He played running back, safety, and returned punts while at Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah at a time when the school was still segregated. He also played basketball and ran track and field.

Atkinson then attended Morris Brown College, where he pursued a social studies major. He earned four letters in football and three in track, and was an All-America honorable mention. He started his career as a cornerback / kick returner. Facing the Buffalo Bills on September 15 during his rookie season, he scored an 86-yard touchdown on a punt return. He returned five total punts during the game for 205 yards, an NFL record at the time, (along with one kick return for 25 yards) in the win. 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 four interceptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. he returned 112 punts and 44 kicks combined in the years after 1968 for one total touchdown and 2,323 yards. He ranks fifth on the Raiders all-time interception list with 30.

Later, Atkinson became part of a formidable safety duo with Jack Tatum when he was drafted in 1971. 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, and hall of famer Willie Brown. Atkinson spent 10 seasons with the Raiders before finishing his career with the Denver Broncos, spending one season with the team. He played in 144 games.

Atkinson was also known for his various appearances in the media where he provided endless complaints on "controversial" calls made against the Oakland Raiders, which were almost always accompanied by Atkinson claiming without evidence that the NFL targeted the Raiders for punishment due to bias and corruption and not based on what the organization had actually done (or not done). One notable example was the Immaculate 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. Atkinson also said on an NFL Network show that addressed the 2002 Tuck Rule reversal of a Tom Brady fumble into an incompletion that started the Patriots road to beating the Raiders (and later winning Super Bowl XXXVI) that the rule had never been used except to ruin the Raiders season; his statement lost credibility because the Patriots themselves had been on the other side of the Tuck Rule earlier in the 2001 season during a loss to the Jets, when it cost them what appeared to be a key fumble by Vinny Testaverde.

Personal life and death Atkinson had nine children including twins Josh and George III. Atkinson was married to Denise until his death. Atkinson's twin sons, George and Josh, played college football for Notre Dame. George went on to become an NFL running back. Both Josh and George died by suicide; Josh on December 25, 2018, and George (following a previous suicide attempt shortly after Josh's death) on December 2, 2019.

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 a pacemaker installed. He pledged to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation to be tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He had previously stated he was suffering from symptoms of the disease in a 2016 interview.