Lyle Alzado

Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League, known for his intense and intimidating style of play. Over a fifteen-year career he played for the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns, and the Los Angeles Raiders, winning a championship with the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. He was a three-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

Alzado was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, to an Italian-Spanish father, Maurice, and a Jewish mother of Russian family background, Martha Sokolow Alzado. He followed Judaism. When he was ten, 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, where Alzado played football for three years under coach Richard Mollo.

Having received no 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.