On Oct. 4, Mike Alstott will join Lee Roy Selmon, Jimmie Giles, Paul Gruber, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and former head coach John McKay in the Buccaneer Ring of Honor. For many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, this announcement was long overdue because throughout his 12-year career, Alstott was the heart, soul, backbone and everything in-between.
Every Sunday, the halfback out of Purdue, taken by the Bucs in the second round, did anything that was asked of him and left it all out there on the gridiron. You need him to block for Warrick Dunn? He was your man. You want him to catch passes in the flat? He had an impressive 65 receptions in his rookie season. You wish he could be more of a running back? He came 51 yards short of reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 1999. You need him to convert on a short-yardage play? Oh, that was his specialty! Just ask practically every opposing team.
Even though Alstott was listed as a fullback, he was so much more than that and the Buccaneers record books prove it. He has the most touchdowns (71) in team history while his rushing yards (5,088) and yards from scrimmage (7,372) put him in second in franchise history.
Simply put, if you were a fan of the Bucs, you absolutely loved Alstott. If you hated the Bucs, you could still respect what he brought to the table. So, it should come as no surprise that when the announcement of A-Train’s induction into the Ring of Honor came out, people got awfully nostalgic on Twitter, reminiscing about everything from his contributions on the field to how his character in video games would destroy the competition to commenting on how he is an incredible human being off the field.
"Mike Alstott is easily one of my favorite offensive players of All-time…. he gave us young fullbacks/halfbacks hope in youth football"
Mike Alstott = Greatest human to ever grace the earth.
— Miller Lite Bob (@MillerLiteBobby) May 13, 2015
Is there anything better than a Mike Alstott highlight video?
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) May 13, 2015
@EricDoot @TBBuccaneers @BoilerFootball My high school played against his. He was so amazing to watch, even then! #MikeAlstott
— Cindy Lou (@FarmGirlLily) May 13, 2015
So happy for my homie mike alstott and his induction into the ring of honor. Mike is as good a man off the field as he was on it!
— shaun king (@realshaunking) May 13, 2015
#mikealstott We will forever love your heart, your smashing, and your ability to do this.. @NFL_AM #nfl #Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/iTgp1cbl5W
— chris benton (@teddybatmin) May 13, 2015
Mike Alstott was awesome. My first #Bucs jersey.
— Wade Roberts (@bugzzie596) May 13, 2015
And now the whole office knows my college crush on Mike Alstott because I reacted a little too loudly to this tweet http://t.co/PSRqVyEPZV
— Stefanie (@Stefmara) May 13, 2015
Mike Alstott was my first favorite athlete. I loved trains as a kid and so a guy with the nickname "A-Train" was a natural fit. #Bucs
— Jonathan Arnholz (@JArnholz) May 13, 2015
Next: Remembering the Super Bowl XXXVII Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers