Former Oakland Raiders star George Atkinson, who helped the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship in the 1976 season, has passed away at the age of 78.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced the news of George Atkinson’s passing in an X/Twitter post. The Raiders said they were “deeply saddened by” his death and offered prayers to his family.

After playing college football at Morris Brown, Atkinson was drafted in the seventh round (190th overall) by the Oakland Raiders in 1968. Though he was known as a hard-hitting safety, Atkinson was also an elite special teams returner during his prime years with the Raiders.

George Atkinson earned AFL All-Star selections in his first two professional seasons and shared AFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with Miami Dolphins star Dick Anderson i

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