This intense Oakland Raider's defensive lineman was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1977. Name this 15 year
veteran.

Professional Teams
Denver Broncos (1971-1978)
Cleveland Browns (1979-1981)
Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1985)

He was a good amateur boxer anche, and in 1979 fought an exhibition match against the greatest of them all Muhammad Ali. Santo cielo!

Lyle Martin Alzado?

It was Harvey Martin. Italian? LMAO

Ciao Ed

Lyle Martin Alzado?

Lyle Alzado

Born: April 3, 1949(1949-04-03)
Brooklyn, New York
Died: May 14, 1992 (aged 43)
Portland, Oregon

Career Stats
Sacks 112.5
Games 196
Safeties 3
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
Pro Bowl (x2) (1977, 1978)
All-Pro in 1977 and 1980
2nd Team All-Pro in 1978
All-AFC in 1974, 77, 78, 80, 82
2nd Team All-AFC in 1979
1982 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
1977 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year


Lyle Martin Alzado was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an Italian-Spanish father and a Jewish mother.
When he was 10, the family moved to Cedarhurst, Long Island. His father left when he was in
Lawrence High School. He played high school football, but was not a standout.

He played college football for Kilgore College, a 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. Alzado went back to Yankton after his rookie season to get his college degree.
He received a B.A. in physical education with an emphasis on secondary education.

Ciao, Harvey Martin was the overall NFL defensive player of the year. Lyle Azado was the AFC conference defensive player of the year sorry. big difference but what a player.

Ed

Ciao, Harvey Martin was the overall NFL defensive player of the year. Lyle Azado was the AFC conference defensive player of the year sorry. big difference but what a player.

Ed, Can't argue with that but was Harvey of Italian origin? Dean Martin - Harvey Martin
Ed, do you remember when Harvey Martin did the Pro Wrestling stuff?

Harvey Martin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harvey Martin
Defensive End Jersey #(s):
79
Born: November 16, 1950(1950-11-16)
Dallas, Texas
Died: December 24, 2001 (aged 51)
Career Information
Year(s): 1973–1983
NFL Draft: 1973 / Round: 3 / Pick: 53
College: East Texas State
Professional Teams
Dallas Cowboys (1973-1983)

Career Stats - Very impressive
Sacks 114
Games 158
Interceptions 2
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
4x Pro Bowl selection (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979)
4x All-Pro selection (1976, 1977, 1979, 1982)
NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
1977 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Super Bowl XII MVP

Harvey Banks Martin (November 16, 1950 - December 24, 2001) was an American football defensive end in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys
from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was
ashamed that his son didn't play like his friends' kids. He eventually starred at South Oak Cliff High School and East Texas State
University before being drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft.

As part of the famed Doomsday Defense, "The Beautiful" aka "Too Mean" led the Cowboys in sacks seven times. Martin went to the Pro Bowl
four times and was co-Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XII (shared with teammate Randy White). He still holds team records for most sacks as
a rookie (8 - 1973), in a season (20 - 1977), and career (114) [1][2]. Former Cowboys GM Tex Schramm stated "He'll be remembered as one
of the great Cowboys of the golden years ... He was a great player, one of the first great pass rushers." Martin followed up his 20-sack
1977 season with a 14 sack performance in 1978, 9 in 1979, and 12 in 1980.

Following his retirement in 1984, Martin participated in the battle royal at WrestleMania 2 (1986) for World Wrestling Federation and
appeared several times in World Class Championship Wrestling and the Global Wrestling Federation as a ringside commentator.

With football gone, many inner demons came to light, including bankruptcies, domestic violence, and polysubstance abuse. Although coach
Tom Landry sent him to rehab in 1983, Martin continued to abuse drugs and alcohol. He hit rock-bottom in 1996, when "Too Mean" was jailed
on domestic violence and cocaine charges, where he received probation and spent the next eight months in a court-ordered rehabilitation program.

Afterwards, he was given a job selling chemical products by former teammate and Cowboys offensive lineman John Niland. He was able to turn his
life around, staying clean and sober for the final years of his life, giving anti-drug speeches to both schoolchildren and recovering addicts.

Martin died of pancreatic cancer on December 24, 2001 at the age of 51.

Yea Like Dean Martin thats it.

It was actually Martino.

So let's see if you can answer the questions about these famous Italian American Football players

ITALIAN AMERICANS IN FOOTBALL
As players and coaches, Italian Americans have set records in one of America's most popular sports.

1. Name the legendary football coach that (1913-1970) led the Green Bay Packers to five National Football League (NFL) championships
(between 1959 and 1967), the first and second Super Bowls (1967 and 1968), and three world titles during the 1960s. The Brooklyn-born
former football player and coach introduced the T-formation offense, which he used in 1956 to bring the New York Giants to their first
NFL championship since 1938. In 1969, he coached Washington, D.C.'s Redskins, bringing them to their first winning season in more than
two decades. He died in 1970 and was elected posthumously to the Football Hall of Fame the same year. His motto was "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."


2. He became head coach of the Penn State football team in 1965 where he led the team to 22 major bowl games and four perfect seasons,
produced many All American players and 48 players who joined the NFL. Three times honored as Coach of the Year, he won more than 80 percent of his games.


3. Born Luigi Piccolo(not the name he used) in 1893, was a member of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. He coached Columbia University's
football team from 1930 to 1956 and was known for developing teams that never gave up. Among his more notable victories was a one-point win over Army
in 1947 that snapped the Cadets' 32-game winning streak.


4. Name seven(7)Italian American football players have won the Heisman Trophy, college football's highest honor.

5. The greatest Super Bowl drive of all time-- eight complete passes in two minutes and thirty seconds was the work
of San Francisco 49ers______________ in 1984. He quarterbacked
the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles before playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the Most Valuable Player of three
of those four Super Bowls.


6. ________________________, who played for the Miami Dolphins, was the highest rated quarterback in the NFL in 1984.
He passed for an amazing 47 touchdowns in his first 20 games, a record it took Joe Namath three seasons to match.


7.________________ led the nation in rushing when he played for Wake Forest University, totaling 1,044 yards during his
senior year in 1964. Drafted by the Chicago Bears, he gained 927 yards and caught 58 passes before his life
was cut short by cancer in 1970 when he was only 27 years old. Gale _________________was his good buddy. There is
a very touching movie and book about his football story. James Caan and Billy Dee Williams star. A real tear jerker!
Civil rights and all! Think I'll rent it domani. Have not seen it for moltissimo anni.

8.Pro football "iron man" ____________________________ was well-named. He missed only one game in 14 years with the Los
Angeles Rams and the New York Giants, earning All-Pro honors seven times was named the National Football League's "Player
of the Year" in 1962, and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

9. _______________________________, a black Italian American whose mother came from Lucca, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A record-breaking rusher, he led his team to its first divisional title in 40 years and then won two league championships in 1974
and 1975. He held the record for the most yards gained in a Super Bowl -- 158 against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.

10. This man holds the NFL record for throwing touchdown passes to 70 different players.
He has played in two Pro Bowls (in 1996 with the Baltimore Ravens and 1998 with the New York Jets)
in twenty one seasons in the NFL. His name could not being anymore Italian than it is.(mentioned above in another question about college football players)

1, Lobardy
2,Paterno
3,Brian
4, Lots
5,Montana
6,Marino
7,Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers.
8,Jim Marshal
9,Payton
10,Vinnieeeee

I missed Harris

Make sure on Peyton manning

This man ate nails for breakfast!

As a tackle, he was the captain of the 1961 Notre Dame football team, but was considered by NFL scouts as "too small" to play Pro Football.
Drafted by the Boston Patriots in the 1962 American Football League college draft and switched to linebacker, he made an immediate impact
with the Patriots, being named the team's rookie of the year. The following year he helped Boston capture the 1963 AFL Eastern Division title.
With Boston, he appeared in five AFL All-Star Games, and recorded 24 interceptions, which is still the seventh-most in team history. He was
named 2nd team All-AFL in 1963 and the following season began a run of five consensus All-AFL seasons in the following six seasons, missing
only 1968 when he was named second-team All-AFL. He is a member of the Patriots All-1960s (AFL) Team and the AFL All-Time Team.

He was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins in 1969. He continued to play well with the Dolphins, in 1969-1974 and 1976, and made the AFL All-Star
team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973. Named All-AFC in 1972 as well.

His leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins' defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances,
one of which was the team's 1972 undefeated season. In 1973, he recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). He was named to the AFC-NFC
Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973.

He ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks, eighteen with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins.

He was named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player three times (1969, 1970, 1973). In 1990, he was voted as a linebacker on the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary
All-Time team. A year later on November 18, 1991, he was enshrined on the Dolphin Honor Roll at Joe Robbie Stadium.

He got his law degree during his years with the Patriots.

In 1985, after his son Marc suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel,
he became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, now one of
the world's leading neurological research centers.

He is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

This one was easy Nick Buonicotti, Grew up watching him.

Go Pats!!!!!!!!!

This one was easy Nick Buonicotti, Grew up watching him.

Me too! Like I said the guy ate nails for breakfast!