Mike Alstott

Lore & Background

Alstott played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers, earning third-team All-American honors in 1995, and was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. He received six Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections, in addition to being a member of the Buccaneers team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII. For his accomplishments in Tampa Bay, he was inducted to the Buccaneers Ring of Honor in 2015.

Reader's Guide

Alstott attended Purdue University for four years, where he became the first player in school history named MVP in three consecutive seasons. He scored 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, 14 as a junior, and 11 as a senior, and held the Purdue rushing touchdown record with 39 until Kory Sheets broke it in 2008. He averaged 5.6 yards per attempt during his Purdue career before graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in business. He finished as Purdue's all-time leading rusher with 3,635 yards, including a school-best 1,436 yards in 1995. Alstott was selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 1996 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to the draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers were considered the favorites to draft Alstott as a possible replacement for Bam Morris following Morris' marijuana possession arrest, but were able to execute the draft-day trade for Jerome Bettis before the Steelers turn at 29th overall. Both then-new Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy and Steelers head coach Bill Cowher were former assistants to Marty Schottenheimer and all three believed in strong running games. The Buccaneers utilized Alstott primarily as a running fullback at a time when most NFL teams used their fullbacks as lead blockers. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl XXXVII (2002), played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Alstott rushed for 15 yards and the first Super Bowl touchdown in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. He also caught five passes for 43 yards. With 71 total touchdowns as a Buccaneer, Alstott broke the previous franchise record of 46 by running back James Wilder when he scored his 47th career TD on November 26, 2001.

Did You Know?

• He held the Buccaneers' all-time touchdown record until Mike Evans surpassed him in 2021.
• Alstott was ranked No. 10 on the NFL Network's 'Top Ten Power Backs'.