What they're saying about Alstott

ESPN Personality Chris Berman
"Mike Alstott was a throwback warrior disguised as a modern day player. His passion for football and his sheer joy of just playing the game will long be remembered. There is no question that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were truly in "Good Hands with' Alstott."

Buccaneers Linebacker Derrick Brooks
"First of all, I want to congratulate Mike on the wonderful career as a football player, being his teammate and also a fan of his. He truly embodied the Buccaneer way of doing things on and off the field. He was a lead-by-example type of leader and always gained respect from his peers on our team as well as around the NFL. I'm proud of the fact that not only are we friends, but we're business partners. I look forward to us having even more success together away from football. Finally, I think Mike has made the most important impact of all as he cemented his legacy in our community. His foundation as well as private matters, he helped turn Tampa as well as St. Pete into a better place for our children. Whether it was his golf tournament, his fishing tournament, his softball tournament, he's always trying to make a difference. I hate to see the A-Train getting off the track, but in my mind, he's getting off the track in one piece. As hard as he has run the football and as many hits as he's taken, I'm very proud of the fact that he's getting out of this game and being able to walk around, play with his kids and enjoy his wife. I know it was a very hard decision to come to, but I thank God that he has made the decision and stuck with it."

Former Buccaneers Quarterback Trent Dilfer
"Mike Alstott is a great talent. He was a three-tier fullback. Mike was obviously a great ball carrier. He could have played solely tailback, and did play tailback for many games. He was a very good fullback from a lead-blocking standpoint. Then he was one of the best natural receiving backs in all of football. We weren't a very talented football team in those days, but if it wasn't for him and his versatility - he really started and ended what we were offensively. He was just one of the great football players that I've been fortunate to play with throughout my career."

Former Buccaneers Head Coach Tony Dungy
"Mike was just such a special person and a special player for me because he was in our first draft class and was so instrumental in being part of that group that got it turned around for the Buccaneers. The way he played, as well as the big plays he made, but I think the fire and the determination that he played with, the things that made him such a fan favorite, are the same things that I always appreciated about him. He practiced hard, he played hard and he was just a total team guy.
There were so many spectacular three and four-yard runs that ended up being big plays for us and big touchdowns, but I guess the play that I will always remember was the touchdown he scored against Detroit in 1997 in our first playoff win to ice the game. It was so symbolic of Mike, a run up the middle, breaking three tackles and then having the speed to take it all the way. It really showed all of the things that he could do. It was a big play in a big game for us, but it seemed like he always made big plays in big games.
He is one of the best players and one of the best people that I've ever been around. I am happy for him that he had such a great career and just wish him the best in his retirement. He is definitely one special person in my eyes."

Former Buccaneers Running Back Warrick Dunn
"I wish Mike all the best in the next phase of his life. He had a career that anyone would be proud of. I was blessed to have played with him for five years."
Former Buccaneers Tackle Paul Gruber
"I think there are a few things that come to mind when I think of Mike Alstott; one is as an offensive lineman, he was a guy that you loved to block for. He always just gave that extra effort and made things happen especially around the goal line that you wouldn't expect. Also, the thing is that as an offensive lineman, you like to wear teams down and it was always fun to see what a strong runner he was in the fourth quarter, and just how he punished people. It would get to a point in the game where most teams didn't want to tackle him anymore."

Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden
"I have been fortunate to coach long enough to be around some truly special players and Mike Alstott certainly fits into that category. His contributions on the field and in the locker room were invaluable to our Super Bowl championship in 2002. Certainly as a coach, but even more so as a fan of his, it will be tough for me to not be able to watch him on Sundays. His passion for the game was contagious and he will most definitely be missed."

Former Buccaneers Quarterback Brad Johnson
"I absolutely loved playing with Mike. He was a great closer in the fourth quarter of games and so many times, we would just hand him the ball and let him do the work. I remember a really hot day against Cleveland in 2002 when we handed off the ball to him and nobody blocked anybody. He must have ran over nine guys, just one of his signature plays. He had a career of always making something happen when nothing was there. He has been a great friend to me, and the Buccaneers and all of football will miss him."

Sports Illustrated Writer Peter King
"To me, Mike Alstott has always epitomized what the NFL is about. He's gotten to a Pro Bowl level through hard work and diligence and being a team guy. And he's a good and normal person who doesn't know he's a famous guy because he treats people right. A Pro Bowler and a good person--that's a good way to be thought of by your peers and your public."

Former Buccaneers Safety John Lynch
"I think in many ways Mike Alstott embodied the transformation of the organization with the way he played and the style in which he played. In 1996, we drafted this young kid from Purdue and he helped turn this franchise from perennial losers to a championship team.
His name was often overlooked when you spoke of the leaders on the team because he was a quiet kid. But the way he lifted the entire stadium and the entire sideline with his play truly showed why he was one of the leaders. I remember that none of the defensive guys would ever want to sit down on the bench when our offense had the ball because we would want to see how many guys he would run over.
Mike always put the team first and was a great, great teammate. It was truly an honor to have played with him."

Former Buccaneers Center Tony Mayberry
"He really did have a genuine enthusiasm for the game. You would think a guy like that who gets smashed around on people would be more hyped up, but he wasn't, he was relaxed and just happy to be in the huddle. He would ask if everybody else was enjoying the moment as much as him, things like that. In a game-time situation where there is a lot of tension, that kind of attitude is very reassuring because as bad as it is, you should be having fun because you're playing a game, and I enjoyed that about him. That's the main thing I remember other than his physical nature and his punishing style of running. He was just happy, like he enjoyed being out there and probably that there was no other place for him that he wanted to be."

Former Buccaneers Tight End Dave Moore
"The first thing that comes to mind when you think about Mike is: WOW he got to do it all!! He has gone to Pro Bowls, the Playoffs, the Super Bowl, signed big contracts and was able to do it all with the Buccaneers. This is all a credit to Mike as a player and a teammate. He was always willing to do what was best for the team and that enabled him to play his entire career in Tampa.
Mike and I spent many offseasons working hard getting ready for camp. In my opinion, you can judge an NFL player by his dedication to the game in the offseason, when no one is watching. I can assure you that Mike was not going to be outworked at any time or by anyone. He took the game of football very serious and was always ready to work. It was a privilege to play with Mike!"

Former Buccaneers Defensive Tackle Warren Sapp
"I remember every time you lined up with him, every time you went to practice with him, every time you saw him in a meeting. He was the last person I touched before I walked onto the football field. His play over the years stands by itself, in a league by itself. The kid played real good ball for a long time and you could always count on him. The time and the memories I have of Mike Alstott are so great that I don't even consider him a teammate. I consider Mike Alstott family."

Buccaneers Center John Wade
"It was an honor to be a teammate of Mike's. It was fun to get to know him as a player and a person. On the field, his combination of power, agility and vision were second-to-none, and off the field, he is a great father and husband and a positive figure in the community. He had a great career and I've been lucky to see some of the big plays he has made and I'll always have visions of Mike running over people when his name is mentioned."

Comments

[Rob]

Well done Mike. I hate to see you go, but to reiterate DB's comments, I'm glad your doing it at a time where your healthy enough to enjoy your family and all of the other gifts in life. God Bless you and your family!!!

[Barbara Phillips]

The first time that I met you in November 1997 I knew that you would be a great ball player. I have followed your career as a fan and season ticket holder till this day even away games and the superbowl in San Diego. I am very sad today but feel blessed to follow your career and watch you and your family grow.

[Jay]

There will never be another #40 for me. Alstott is a legend in my eyes. Thank you for everything Mike.

[aaron]

we need that ring of honor and he needs to be in it. he was such a great buc. on the field and off. they should also retire #40. if anybody ever puts that number on as a buc they just couldnt do it justice.

[Duane Futch]

...2003, we had just moved back to the area from Jacksonville. My wife's cousin did work for 620WDAE and often helped set up the Mike Alstott shows w/ the Big Dog and she asked my wife if she wanted to come and watch the show at one of the Clearwater beach locations. My wife took my 2 month old son and went and watched the show and ordered some food.
Mike doesn't sign autographs at these but does raffle off an autographed jersey....My 2 month son won it and we have the picture of Mike holding him and the jersey when he won it. One day - my son is going to see some of Mike's highlights and understand why his daddy is thrilled he won that jersey!

[DR]

Duane, your son is not your son, it's Mike's son.

[DR]

Bad joke.
Its odd how nobody mentions the HOF when they talk about #40. Ring of of Honor- yes, HOF- No

[Voc]

As a fullback he should be a shoe in the Hall of Fame. There is no question about it. He did it all, he blocked, ran, and caught the ball. I truly enjoyed watching him play over the years. Alstott truly was a warrior....

[Jay]

DR,

The problem is Alstott was not a conventional fullback. He was often used in goal line situations, as a solo back, as a receiver, and a blocker. Prior to his arrival in Tampa Bay, the position was lauded for guys who ran up the middle and crushed linebackers to spring the other guy free. I can honestly say he redefined the position because his presence created another offensive weapon that defenses had to account for. His numbers don't help him because all but went onto the shelf under Gruden, but when he was able to show his stuff, there wasn't a DB in the league that would dare tackle him above the ankles.

That being said, his 6 consecutive Pro Bowls angered a LOT of people who don't live in Tampa Bay. There are other good traditional FB's in the NFC, but they were not getting what their fans felt was adequate praise, because Alstott was getting all the attention. They would constantly complain that he was a RB, and not a FB, and it was a travesty to call him one. While I don't buy any of that, there's still a great deal of resentment amongst some sportswriters and fans of other teams that comes out as ugly press.

The truth is, when you talk about that 1996 team that began the revolution of winning here, you think of all the defensive stars - Barber, Brooks, Lynch, Sapp. But only one offensive player can be named in that company - Alstott. He carried that offense (with Dunn) when we had nothing but marginal players in Trent Dilfer, Jaquez Green, Ridell Anthony, Karl "The Truth" Williams and a laundry list of others who never once inspired any sense of hope or a belief for big play potential. When Mike hit that hole, whether it be against Detroit, against Cleveland, or in Minnesota, he made an entire community of fans suddenly change their attitudes about this franchise. After 20 plus years of losing, that's nothing short of miraculous.

Mike Alstott deserves a place in Canton not because of his statistical numbers, but because of what he did to change the position, the game, the franchise, and the community he became an integral part of.

[bucfever40]

Jay, I could not not have expressed my feelings about Mike any better, and your right about the resentment from other writers and fans, especially in the NFC. I've brought up him deserving mention of the HOF on several local and national boards, and really was shocked to hear all the reasons why he would never be considered for the HOF, while we here in the Bay area simply know what the man and football player is all about, he was a great "running" FB who saw the endzone some 70 times before retiring....a FB with over 70 TD's should NEVER be forgotten, what a golden career and for a genuinely great man!