Georgia High School Football Hall of Famer George Atkinson passes away

The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of 2024 inductee, George Atkinson.

George Atkinson was an 11-year NFL player and two-time Pro Bowl performer for the Oakland Raiders. He led Sol C. Johnson High of Savannah to the Class AA championship game in 1963 in the school’s fifth year of existence. Johnson’s football teams were 21-6-2 over Atkinson’s final three seasons. With SEC schools not recruiting African American players at the time, Atkinson signed with Atlanta’s Morris Brown College and became a four-year starter, playing receiver and safety. The Raiders drafted the speedy Atkinson in the seventh round, and the defensive back was the 1968 AFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was boosted by his 802 return yards. He would have 3,681 all-purpose yards in his career, but he was best known as the strong safety nicknamed “Hitman” in the Raiders’ Soul Patrol secondary that included cornerbacks Willie Brown and Skip Thomas and free safety Jack Tatum. They were the first all-black starting secondary in NFL history. The Raiders won more games (10.6 per season) in Atkinson’s 10 years as a starter (1968-77) than any other NFL team. The Raiders’ 1976 Super Bowl winning team went 16-1. Atkinson later served as a Raiders broadcaster who did pre-game and post-game shows. Atkinson was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 and was a finalist for the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

Our hearts and prayers are with the entire Atkinson family during this time.