- published: 26 Nov 2014
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Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was a professional American football defensive end of the National Football League famous for his intense and intimidating style of play.
He played 15 seasons, splitting his time between the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns, and finally the Los Angeles Raiders, with whom he won a championship in Super Bowl XVIII. Alzado died after a battle with brain cancer in 1992 at the age of 43.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an Italian-Spanish father and a Jewish mother. 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 and was a Vardon Trophy Candidate (defense) in high school for three years.
Following his failure to receive even a single college scholarship offer, Alzado played for Kilgore College, a junior college. After two years, he was asked to leave the team, he later contended, for befriending a black teammate. From Texas, Alzado moved on to Yankton College in South Dakota, a now-defunct school whose campus is currently the site of a federal prison. Though playing in relative obscurity in the NAIA, Alzado nonetheless gained notice by the NFL when a scout for the Denver Broncos, having been taken off the road by automobile trouble, decided to pass the time by screening film of Montana Tech, one of Yankton's opponents. Impressed by the unknown player squaring off against Montana's offense, the scout passed back a favorable report to his team. The Broncos ultimately drafted Alzado 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.