Lyle Alzado

Former NFL defensive linesman who played with the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos from 1971 through to 1991. Alzado amassed a string of prestigious achievements in his NFL career including being named ABC's 1977 Defensive Player of The Year and Defensive Linesman of the Year, plus he was a key player in the Los Angeles Raiders' Super Bowl victory over the Washington Redskins in 1983. He even flirted with the idea of becoming a professional boxer and fought eight rounds in an exhibition match with Muhammad Ali. At his peak, the fiery Alzado stood around 6' 3" and weighed in at approximately 255 pounds; however, after a failed comeback attempt to the NFL in 1991, he admitted long term steroid abuse.

When not on the football field, Lyle's macho image helped him land roles in movies, television shows and commercials. His movie roles primarily consisted of Alzado playing tough guys, enforcers or similar hard cases such as in Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Destroyer (1988), Shocktroop (1988) and Comrades in Arms (1991). In addition, Alzado was known to have a good sense of humor. When Johnny Carson had him as a guest on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1986 and implied that he was over the hill, Alzado responded by saying "I can still kick your a--".

While no conclusive link was ever established, Alzado was sure that his steroid abuse caused the brain tumor that eventually took his life. He never drank, smoked or used recreational drugs during his life and stated that steroids were the only questionable thing he put into his body. After years of denying steroid abuse, he finally came clean and used his admission to try and help prevent younger people from making the same mistakes that he had made. He passed away aged only 43 on May 14th, 1992 at his home in Portland, Oregon.