During the eight years in which Alzado led a crazed pursuit of quarterbacks for the Broncos, two of his primary targets were Chargers signal callers Hadl and future Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, against whom he averaged almost a sack a game.

In the entire history of the Broncos-Chargers rivalry, from 1960 to the present, that remains the only period in which Denver took 11 of 12 from their West Coast opponents, and Alzado led the charge, both literally and figuratively.

The gentlest of giants off the field — known for his unselfish community giving that I can personally vouch for — he had an entirely different emotional place on the field.

Of course, Lyle was a Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Raiders later in his career, but in his Denver years he was the United Press International AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1977 when he led the Broncos' defensive line to the team's own first Super Bowl appearance.

He twice made the Pro Bowl for the Broncos (1977 and 1978) and was All-AFC both years.

Alzado tallied 64.5 sacks for the Broncos, a total that still ranks sixth in team history 40 years after Lyle last chased a quarterback in his orange and blue uniform.