Lyle Alzado first caught my attention when I happened to be reading up on Ali's life and career the other day. I had found that for the first time ever, in 1979, the sport of boxing and the NFL had agreed to pit their most popular stars against each other in the boxing ring. Ali was already passed his prime and looked to have signed up for the fight as an 8 round exhibition match in Mile High Stadium, Denver. Ali hadn’t officially fought since regaining the heavyweight title from Leon Spinks in August 1978, and he was claiming to be retired, so it's safe to say Ali took the fight not only for the money but to also please fans who missed seeing him in the ring and in front of the camera.
Although Lyle Alzado couldn't beat Ali, he took advantage of the opportunity and gave Ali quite a fight to prove himself to be one of the toughest men inside and outside of the NFL.
"For a non fighter he's great. He's got potential to be a world champion in the next two years if he continues to improve. For a man to come into my league and and almost master me was a surprise" - Muhammad Ali said to associated press about Lyle Alzado
These days, when an All-Pro NFL defensive player has a contract dispute, he goes on "Dancing With The Stars." Lyle Alzado handled his by boxing against Muhammad Ali...
Lyle Alzado, who was reportedly a Golden Gloves "champ" winning 44 fights as an amateur, was still shocked at the opportunity that came from a phone call asking him if he wanted to fight Ali. Lyle went on to say “I don’t want to go in there and get my head knocked off... but to be very honest with you, without meaning to sound cocky, I’ve never been afraid of any man in my life.” And so Alzado went on to put up his own house up for collateral to cover the promotion costs of the fight.
I would've fought before I played football. It's a dream I've had half my life. The reason why I quit boxing was because... well I don't know how to say this... but... my dad was a fighter and he turned out to be not such a nice man... - Lyle Alzado at the end of the fight
Lyle's Illustrious NFL Career
"That violence that you saw on the field was not real stuff. Lyle used football as a way of expressing his anger at the world and at the way he grew up," says Peter Alzado, Lyle's brother, on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.
There's not many players who perform at a high caliber level when they elect to play for multiple teams throughout their career, but like few, Lyle Alzado was among a special breed. Lyle Alzado, the NFL's most feared man, was not only the leader of the 'orange crush' defense during his time with the Denver Bronco's, but he was also known as "Darth Raidar" during his epic run with the Oakland Raiders during the latter half of his career. He also helped a once losing franchise in the Cleveland Browns become contenders for a period in time.
Lyle Alzado was defensive end-tackle who wreaked havoc in the backfield and became despised by many quarterbacks and coaches in the league for his sheer aggression. Lyle also picked up the nick name "Three Mile Lyle" for his famous short temper on the field. Nonetheless, It was almost impossible to prepare for a game against Lyle.
RIP Lyle Alzado
Lyle Alzado's story had always seemed too good to be true...
He made a deal with the devil... and it was time for the devil to collect...
Near the end of his career Lyle Alzado was able to retire after finally securing his first and only Superbowl title with the Oakland Raiders. Years later he would admit that he was one of many players who took shortcuts and so he revealed his career long battle with steroid and human growth hormone abuse.
Below is a film that I recommend people watch in full. From beginning to end, you cannot help but feel touched and moved by Alzado's story. You'll find that he was indeed a 'gentle giant,' a player who forced the NFL to impose further rules against acts of violence on the field, and a man who had awaited his glorious day in the sun for almost too long.
Despite Alzado's ups and downs and the exposure of his steroid abuse toward the end of his life, anyone would come to agree that Alzado was definitely deserving of a true story book ending and was indeed one of the most feared, and influential players in NFL history.
Shout out to @brandonk for being the first one to finally break the news to me on what the hyperlink symbol was above highlighted words and links when making a post. I had gone too long without knowing how to properly hyperlink information and tag names in my articles.
Not only that but thanks @brandonk for also remaining a top influence in the boxing/fighting categories as well as anywhere else here on Scorum.
Peace !
Sources Cited:
https://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/04/when-muhammad-ali-fought-broncos-lyle-alzado-in-denver/
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-05-15/sports/sp-2197_1_lyle-alzado
http://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Alzado_Lyle.html
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