Lyle Alzado

Lore & Background

Alzado was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York to an Italian-Spanish father, Maurice, and a Jewish mother with a Russian family background, Martha Sokolow Alzado. He followed Judaism. When he was 10, the family moved to Cedarhurst, Long Island. His father, whom Alzado later described as 'a drinker and street fighter,' left the family during Alzado's sophomore year at Lawrence High School. He played high school football under coach Richard Mollo for three years. After not receiving a college scholarship offer, Alzado played for Kilgore College, a community college in Kilgore, Texas. Two years after joining he was asked to leave the team; he later said it was for befriending a black teammate. He went to play for Yankton College in South Dakota. The Broncos drafted Alzado 79th overall in the fourth round of the 1971 draft. 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 in secondary education. During his college years, Alzado participated in amateur boxing making it to the semi-finals of the 1969 Midwest Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament, held in Omaha.

In Their Own Story

The noise of Shea Stadium faded into a dull roar as Lyle Alzado stepped onto the sideline, his massive frame dwarfing the equipment around him. He adjusted his helmet, the green and white stripes stark against his determined face. For one year, he was not just a player but a symbol of relentless pursuit for the Jets, staring down opposing offensive lines with eyes that had seen it all.

Reader's Guide

Alzado's NFL career began with the Denver Broncos, where he took over as starting right defensive end in 1971 after Rich 'Tombstone' Jackson was injured. He made various All-rookie teams. In 1977, he was voted consensus All-Pro and consensus All-AFC as well as winning the UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1979 after a contract dispute. With the Browns, he made second-team All-AFC in 1979 and was All-Pro and All-AFC in 1980. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1982; the team had relocated to Los Angeles by the time he joined. He was voted the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1982. He helped lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in the 1983 season. Alzado retired at the end of the 1985 season. He attempted a comeback in 1990, but injured a knee during training camp and was released. In 196 career games, he racked up 112 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, and nearly 1,000 tackles, while earning Pro Bowl honors in 1977 and 1978. After retirement, he worked as a part-time color analyst for NBC's NFL coverage in 1988–89. In 2018, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Alzado to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2018.

Did You Know?

• Alzado was an amateur boxer and, in 1979, fought an exhibition match against Muhammad Ali.
• He inspired the NFL rule against throwing a helmet after having done so to an opponent's helmet.
• He appeared in the 1985 anti-drug music video Stop the Madness sponsored by the Reagan administration.
• He starred in the sitcom Learning the Ropes as a high school teacher whose secret alter ego is a professional wrestler known as 'the Masked Maniac.'