Actors - Lyle Alzado

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	Actors - Lyle Alzado

Lyle Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was a football player.

He played defensive line for the Los Angeles Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos during the 1970s and early 1980s. He was noted as a colorful and popular figure with each team.

He is probably most remembered today for being one of the first major U.S. sports figures to admit to abuse of steroids. In the last years of his life, as he battled against the brain cancer that eventually caused his death, at the age of 43. He asserted that his steroid abuse directly led to his final illness.

Early life

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, on Long Island, and his father left when he was in high school. He played high school football, but was not a standout.

Football career

He played college football for Kilgore Junior College for two years, and then Yankton College in South Dakota, where he was noticed by a Denver Broncos coach watching film. The Broncos drafted him in the fourth round, in 1971.

He was a star with the Broncos for several seasons, leading the team in sacks five times and making the Pro Bowl in 1977 and 1978. In 1979 he had a contract dispute, and the Broncos traded him to the Cleveland Browns.

He played well with the Browns, leading the team in sacks in 1980 and 1981, but the Browns traded him to the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982 to reduce their salary burden. He continued to perform well for the Raiders in the 1983 and 1984 seasons, but was injured part way through 1985 and retired at the end of the year. He attempted a comeback in 1990, but injured a knee during training camp and was released.

Outside of football

Alzado pursued an acting career in both movies and television, appearing mostly in youth-oriented comedy and adventure roles.

He was an amateur boxer, and once fought an exhibition match against Muhammad Ali.

Learning the Ropes

Alzado gained some much deserved recognition for his acting skills in his breakthrough role on the critically acclaimed television series "Learning the Ropes" where he played a high school principal moonlighting as a professional wrestler known as "The Masked Menace". The show's premise was that Alzado's wrestler lifestyle was a secret alter ego, and upon discovery of his identity by his children, much hilarity ensued. Famed film critic Leonard Maltin said in a September 1984 review "The runaway popularity of 'Learning The Ropes' is a testament to the popularity, charisma, and on screen presence of Lyle Alzado".

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Lyle Alzado ]

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Actors - Lyle Alzado

Early life

Football career

Outside of football

Learning the Ropes

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