My first year with the Broncos was 1978, and Lyle and I had been good friends for several years before that. Lyle at times confided in me that he was considering retiring from pro football to become a pro boxer.

Due to Lyle's conflicts on this matter — as well as the desire for a new contract, a fact not to be minimized in this situation — he left the team and ultimately was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 1979.

He was not happy there and expressed to both me and Denver general manager Fred Gehrke a strong desire to return to Denver. That never happened, but after three years he was traded to the Oakland Raiders.

And if anyone ever was designed as the perfect Raider, it was Lyle Alzado.

He played for the then-Los Angeles Raiders from 1982-85, made the All-AFC Team in 1982 and was named Pro Football Weekly's NFL Comeback Player of the Year that season as well.

Lyle was a star among stars in LA (he even opened a nightclub there — I still recall going there to meet him during my advances to Los Angeles), and he helped pave the way to the Raiders' third Super Bowl win, a championship over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.

Coincidentally, Super Bowl XVIII was the first of my 28 Super Bowls that I worked, and I vividly recall meeting with Lyle the Wednesday before the game.

"We are going to kill them," he said to me regarding their upcoming game with the Redskins and league MVP Joe Theismann. "Theismann has no chance against our pass rush."

He then did his Wednesday press and added, loudly and in full sight and sound of the massed media, "I am just making this stuff up. And look at them. They are writing down every word! I am just coming up with 'answers' as I go along," he laughed.

Lyle proved prophetic about the outcome, though, as the Raiders pillaged their way to a 38-9 win in the first Super Bowl game ever played in Tampa.

I remember another encounter while Lyle was with the Raiders, one that typified him and Raiders owner and future Hall of Famer Al Davis. I was leaving the Raiders' facility just after their practice had begun on a Wednesday, and on my way to the parking lot I heard a familiar voice call to me.

"Jim! Hey, Jim! Jim, turn around," Lyle bellowed.

I saw him full of sweat walking out of their lifting facility and said, "Lyle! Great to see you," and then after some small talk I added, "But shouldn't you be at practice? It started 15 minutes ago!"

"Nah," Lyle said. "My deal with Al is that I practice on defense day (which then was commonly Thursday in the NFL) and play like heck on Sunday. Beyond that, I can do anything I want to get ready. I like to lift."

One of a kind, truly.

He finished his career with 112.5 quarterback sacks and an uncounted number of intimidations as he scowled and snorted from his defensive end position.

And beyond that, I have never met any player who had a bigger heart of gold than Lyle Alzado in the community.

Lyle was the 1977 Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award winner as a Bronco, honoring his work in the community in the spirit of the former University of Colorado star, NFL player and Supreme Court justice.

I could tell story after story of his generosity, for much of which he pledged me to secrecy in the spirit of giving without publicity.

An absolute heart of gold.