Jim Otto: The PAIN OF GLORY
Jim Otto, an All-Pro center for the Oakland Raiders for 15 seasons, was the cornerstone of the fierce, win-at-all-costs Raider image. Otto's body bore the scars of those victories; he has endured 37 football-related surgeries. His memoir is a cautionary tale for coaches who tell their young charges to "play through the pain." A second-generation German immigrant from Wausau, Wisconsin, Otto learned early that life's rewards are earned not bestowed; after football, he built a fast-food empire in Northern California, which has made him a millionaire many times over. His story makes interesting, inspirational, even enlightening reading, but it is not exactly entertaining. There is simply too much pain. Otto has refused to be beaten by pain, but it defines his life, at least as he relates it here. Readers will enjoy the war stories from his playing days--and there are plenty of those--but they will come away knowing more than they want to know about knee-replacement surgery.Wes Lukowsky