George Atkinson, a hard-hitting defensive back who roamed the secondary for the Oakland Raiders during 10 of his 11 seasons in pro football and was part of the team’s Super Bowl XI champions, has died, the team announced on Monday. He was 76.

The Raiders said Atkinson’s family notified the team of his death on Monday. Atkinson died in his native Georgia; no cause of death was given.

“The Raiders Family is deeply saddened by the passing of George Atkinson, a life-long Raider whose physical style of play helped define an era of football,” the team said in a statement. “George’s contributions as a friend and mentor to everyone in the Raiders organization continued long after his playing career, and his genuine personality and wonderful sense of humor will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.”

Atkinson played in 144 games and intercepted 30 career passes -- plus three picks in the postseason -- from 1968 to 1979. He teamed with fellow safety Jack Tatum to form the foundation of the Raiders’ “Soul Patrol” secondary during the 1970s. The Raiders played in five consecutive AFC championship games from 1973 to 1978 and defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI after the 1976 season.

The “Soul Patrol” also featured cornerbacks Willie Brown, a Hall of Famer; and Skip Thomas. Atkinson was the last surviving member of the foursome.

Atkinson finished his NFL career with the Denver Broncos in 1979.

A seventh-round pick in the 1968 draft out of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Atkinson would win American Football League defensive rookie of the year honors and was named to the Pro Bowl during his first two seasons with the Raiders.

He made a memorable pro debut, returning a punt 86 yards for a touchdown on Sept. 15, 1968, against Buffalo. The special teams score ignited the Raiders to a 48-6 victory against the host Bills.

Atkinson’s most famous hits came against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann. He knocked Swann out during the 1975 AFC championship game and then again in the 1976 season opener with a forearm to the back of the head.

The hit in the regular-season game prompted a comment from Pittsburgh coach Chuck Noll, who characterized Atkinson as part of the “criminal element” in the NFL. Atkinson sued Noll for defamation but lost the case.

“We never go out on the field with the intention of trying to hurt anyone but we go out with intentions of getting our jobs done,” Atkinson once said. “If you don’t want to get hit, it’s best not to show up when we play Sunday. I guarantee you will get hit.”

Atkinson grew up in the Savannah area and competed in four different sports at Johnson High School. He was inducted into the Georgia High School Hall of Fame in 2024.

Atkinson’s son, George Atkinson III, was a running back who played in the NFL in 2014 (for the Raiders) and in 2016 (with the Cleveland Browns). The younger Atkinson died in November 2019 at the age of 27.

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