George Atkinson (American football)
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| George Atkinson | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 4, 1947 |
| Place of birth |  Savannah, Georgia |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 180 pounds (81.6 kg) |
| Position(s) | CB |
| College | Morris Brown |
| Common Draft | 1968 / Round 7 / Pick 190 |
| Jersey Number | 43 |
| Career highlights | |
| AFL All-Star | 1968, 1969 |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Teams | |
| 1968-1969 1970-1977 1979 |
AFL Oakland Raiders NFL Oakland Raiders NFL Denver Broncos |
George "Butch" Henry Atkinson (born January 4, 1947 in Savannah, Georgia) is a former professional American football player. He played football collegiately at Morris Brown, where he was a defensive back and a kick returner and professionally in the American Football League and National Football League for the Oakland Raiders from 1968 to 1977. He was a member of the Raiders' Super Bowl XI championship team.
Atkinson set the Raiders' single-game record for punt return yardage in 1968, with 205 yards against Buffalo. He ranks fifth on the Raiders all-time interception list with 30.
In a regular-season game in 1976 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders' arch-rival, Atkinson hit an unsuspecting Lynn 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 a concussion. Atkinson had also hit Swann in a similar manner in the previous season's AFC Championship game, which also gave Swann a concussion. After the second incident, Steeler's coach Chuck 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.
Atkinson currently works as a Raiders broadcaster, doing the pre-game and post-game shows. He also hosts a television program called Behind the Shield.
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