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George Atkinson, a Super Bowl champion and a member of the Raiders ’ "Soul Patrol" secondary in the 1970s, has died, the team announced on Monday. He was 78.

Atkinson played for the Raiders from 1968 to 1977 and had a season with the Denver Broncos before he retired from the NFL. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1968 American Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Raiders’ organization mourned the loss in a statement.

"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. "Selected by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 1968 Draft out of Morris Brown, George burst onto the pro f

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