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Lyle Alzado

Lyle Alzado
Position(s) Defensive End Jersey #(s) 77
Born	April 3, 1949(1949-04-03) Brooklyn, New York
Died	May 14, 1992 (aged 43) Portland, Oregon
Career information
Year(s)	1971–1985
NFL Draft	1971 / Round: 4 / Pick: 79
College	Yankton
Professional teams
Denver Broncos (1971-1978) Cleveland Browns (1979-1981) Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1985)
Career stats
Sacks	112.5
Games	196
Safeties	3
Stats at NFL.com
Career highlights and awards
1× Super Bowl Champion (XVIII) 2× Pro Bowl selection (1977, 1978) 2× First-team All-Pro selection (1977, 1980) 1× Second=team All-Pro (1978) 4× All-AFC in (1977, 1978, 1980, 1982) 1× Second-team All-AFC (1979) 1982 NFL Comeback Player of the Year 1977 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year

Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was a professional American football defensive lineman of the National Football League who played 15 seasons for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. He was drafted in the 4th round (79th overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at Yankton College.

Throughout his career, Alzaldo was famous for his intense and intimidating style of play. In 196 career games, he racked up 112.5 sacks and earned two Pro Bowl selections in 1977 and 1978. He would spend his last years in the league with the Oakland Raiders where he would win a championship in Super Bowl XVIII. Alzado died after a battle with cancer in 1992 at the age of 43.

[edit] Early life, high school and college football

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an Italian-Spanish father and a Jewish mother. When he was ten, the family moved to Cedarhurst, Long Island. His father left when he was in Lawrence High School. He played high school football and was a Vardon Trophy Candidate (defense) in High School for three years. He played college football for Kilgore College, a junior college, for two years, and then Yankton College in South Dakota, where he was noticed by a Denver Broncos coach watching film. The Broncos drafted him in the fourth round, in 1971. Alzado went back to Yankton after his rookie season to get his college degree. He received a B.A. in physical education with an emphasis on secondary education.

[edit] NFL career

During his career in the 1970s and 1980s, he played defensive line for the Los Angeles Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos. He was noted as a colorful and popular figure with the Broncos, Browns and Raiders.

[edit] Denver Broncos

When the Broncos' starting right defensive end was injured in 1971, Alzado took over the job and never gave it up. Alzado made various All-rookie teams for his contributions of 60 tackles and 8 sacks. The following year, Alzado began to get national attention as he racked up 10½ sacks to go with his 91 tackles. In 1973, Alzado posted excellent numbers as the Broncos had a winning record for the first time in team history with a 7-5-2 mark.

In 1974, Alzado gained more notice as one publication named him All-AFC, with his 13 sacks and 80 tackles (eight for a loss) he was being recognized with the NFL's top defensive ends, such as Elvin Bethea, Jack Youngblood, L.C. Greenwood, Claude Humphrey, and Carl Eller. The Denver Broncos posted their second consecutive winning season, going 7-6-1.

The 1975 season brought change, as Alzado moved to defensive tackle. He responded with 91 tackles and 7 sacks. Alzado took a step backward as did the Broncos with a 6-8 record. On the first play of the 1976 season, Alzado blew out a knee and missed that campaign. The Broncos were 9-5 but SPORT magazine reported that twelve players, including Alzado, did not think the team could reach the playoffs with coach John Ralston. Ralston was replaced as coach by Red Miller for the 1977 season.

The 1977 season was the most successful in franchise history to that point; the Broncos had one of the NFL's best defenses, went 12-2 and then beat Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders in the playoffs to reach Super Bowl XII. In that game, played in New Orleans, they were beaten soundly 27-10 by the Dallas Cowboys. Still, the year was a big success for Alzado, who was voted consensus All-Pro and consensus All-AFC as well as winning the UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the Broncos in sacks with 8, while making 80 tackles.

The Broncos again went to the AFC playoffs, losing the first round to the eventual champions Steelers. Alzado had 77 tackles and 9 sacks and recorded his first NFL safety. (Alzado would record two more in his career, which ties him in second place all-time). He was 2nd team All-Pro and a consensus All-AFC pick. In 1979 he had a contract dispute, and the Broncos traded him to the Cleveland Browns.

[edit] Cleveland Browns

He played well with the Browns, making second team All-AFC in 1979 while playing defensive end. Alzado had 80 tackles in that year to go with his seven sacks. The following year the Browns won the AFC Central division, losing to the Raiders in the Divisional round. Alzado led the Browns in sacks with nine, and was All-Pro and All-AFC. In 1981 he suffered some injuries, and at times his focus on football was diminished because of problems in his private life. Still, he recorded 83 tackles and led the Browns in sacks with 8½. However, the Browns traded him to the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982.

[edit] Los Angeles Raiders

Being discarded by the Browns rekindled a fire in Alzado, and he worked out with a vengeance. In 1982 he was voted the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Although he played a full season in 1981, his play was seemingly so superior in 1982 that he garnered the award. In the strike-shortened 1982 season of 9 games, Alzado recorded 7 sacks and 30 tackles while being voted All-AFC. This was the sixth season out of his first twelve campaigns that he received some sort of post-season honor.

Alzado was one of the fiercest competitors the NFL has ever seen. In fact, due to Alzado throwing an opponent's helmet across the field, the league instituted a rule specifically banning the act.^[1]

He continued to perform well for the Raiders in the 1983 season, helping lead them to a Super Bowl that year while recording 50 tackles and 7½ sacks. He also had an outstanding 1984 season with 63 tackles and 6 sacks, but was injured part way through 1985 and retired at the end of the year. His tackle and sack totals dipped to 31 and 3.

When asked about the NFL, Alzado told sportswriter Mike Morrow of the Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif., that "it ain't no fondue party."^{[cite this quote]} The comment drew league-wide attention.

Alzado's career, he had nearly 1,000 tackles, recorded 112½ sacks and forced 24 fumbles. He played in two Super Bowls and emerged a winner once. He attempted a comeback in 1990, but injured a knee during training camp and was released, after which he retired for good.

Following his retirement from playing, Alzado worked as a part-time color analyst for NBC's NFL coverage in 1988-89.

[edit] Outside of football

• Alzado pursued an acting career in both movies and television, appearing mostly in youth-oriented comedy and adventure roles. His most notable film roles include the bully construction worker in Ernest Goes to Camp and the unstoppable killer in Destroyer.
• He appeared in Stop the Madness, a 1985 anti-drug music video sponsored by the Reagan administration.
• He made a guest appearance on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show in 1989.
• He was an amateur boxer, and in 1979 fought an exhibition match against Muhammad Ali.^[2]
• Alzado appeared in the series premiere of the short-lived 1991 sitcom Good Sports with Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett.
• He also appeared in an episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show and starred in the sitcom Learning the Ropes, where he played a professional wrestler.

Alzado starred in the sitcom Learning the Ropes where he played a high school principal whose secret alter ego is a professional wrestler known as "The Masked Maniac." NWA Wrestling stars Ric Flair, Ronnie Garvin, Ron Simmons, The Rock and Roll Express, Jimmy Garvin and the Road Warriors appeared on the show.

[edit] Steroid use and death

Alzado is probably most remembered today for being one of the first major U.S. sports figures to admit using steroids. In the last years of his life, as he battled against the brain tumor that eventually caused his death at the age of 43, Alzado asserted that his steroid abuse directly led to his fatal illness, but each of his physicians stated it could not be true, and that while steroids do have harsh side effects, they were not the cause of his brain cancer. According to some reports, Alzado was using natural growth hormone, harvested from human corpses, as opposed to synthetic growth hormones. However, shortly before his death, Alzado recounted his steroid abuse in an article in Sports Illustrated. He said:

Alzado is buried at River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.^[4]

[edit] See also

• List of notable brain tumor patients
• List of doping cases in sport

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• ESPN Classic bio
• Article about Alzado's exhibition boxing match against Muhammad Ali
• Article about Alzado's comeback attempt in 1990
• Article about Alzado's strong man performance and steroid use
• Lyle Alzado at Raiders Online.Com
• Lyle Alzado at the Internet Movie Database
• Lyle Alzado at Allmovie
• Lyle Alzado at Find a Grave