Quick Facts
Biography
Michael Joseph Alstott (born December 21, 1973), nicknamed "A-Train", is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his entire 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Purdue. During his career, Alstott was selected to six Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders.
College career
Alstott attended Purdue University for four years, where he became the first player in school history named MVP in three consecutive seasons. Alstott scored 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, 14 as a junior, and 11 as a senior, and held the Purdue rushing touchdown record with 39 until Kory Sheets broke it in 2008. He averaged 5.6 yards per attempt during his Purdue career before graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in business. He finished as Purdue's all-time leading rusher with 3,635 yards, including a school-best 1,436 yards in 1995.
Professional career
Alstott was selected in the second round (35th overall) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers utilized Alstott primarily as a running fullback as opposed to a blocking fullback that teams were starting to switch to at the time. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl XXXVII (2002), played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Alstott rushed for 15 yards and the first Super Bowl touchdown in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. He also caught five passes for 43 yards.
Alstott signed a one-year contract to stay in Tampa Bay for the 2005 season, and signed a similar contract at the conclusion of the 2006 season after contemplating retirement. However, he spent all of the 2007 season on injured reserve because of neck problems, leading to his retirement on January 24, 2008.
In the summer of 2007, shortly before he suffered his season-ending and ultimately career-ending neck injury, Alstott appeared in a television commercial for ESPN Fantasy Football along with former teammate Warrick Dunn, who was later signed by the Falcons.
He was ranked #10 on the NFL Network's "Top Ten Power Backs".
Career statistics
Rushing statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Attempts | Yards | Average Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | TB | 16 | 96 | 377 | 3.9 | 39 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | TB | 15 | 176 | 665 | 3.8 | 47 | 7 | 34 | 4 | 3 |
| 1998 | TB | 16 | 215 | 846 | 3.9 | 37 | 8 | 49 | 4 | 4 |
| 1999 | TB | 16 | 242 | 949 | 3.9 | 30 | 7 | 47 | 6 | 6 |
| 2000 | TB | 13 | 131 | 465 | 3.6 | 20 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 2 |
| 2001 | TB | 16 | 165 | 680 | 4.1 | 39 | 11 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TB | 16 | 146 | 548 | 3.8 | 32 | 5 | 37 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 | TB | 4 | 27 | 77 | 2.9 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | TB | 14 | 67 | 230 | 3.4 | 32 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | TB | 16 | 34 | 80 | 2.4 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | TB | 16 | 60 | 171 | 2.9 | 17 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 158 | 1,359 | 5,088 | 3.7 | 47 | 58 | 324 | 23 | 19 |
Receiving statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receptions | Yards | Average Yards per Reception | Longest Reception | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | TB | 16 | 65 | 557 | 8.6 | 29 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | TB | 15 | 23 | 178 | 7.7 | 26 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | TB | 16 | 22 | 152 | 6.9 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | TB | 16 | 27 | 239 | 8.9 | 24 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | TB | 13 | 13 | 93 | 7.2 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | TB | 16 | 35 | 231 | 6.6 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| 2002 | TB | 16 | 35 | 242 | 6.9 | 44 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 | TB | 4 | 10 | 83 | 8.3 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | TB | 14 | 29 | 202 | 7.0 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | TB | 16 | 25 | 222 | 8.9 | 24 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | TB | 16 | 21 | 85 | 4.0 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 158 | 305 | 2,284 | 7.5 | 44 | 13 | 113 | 9 | 6 |
Personal life
Alstott is married to Nicole Alstott. The couple have three children. Along with his wife Nicole they formed the Mike Alstott Family Foundation. Alstott also owns Island Way Grill, a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida along with former teammate tight end Dave Moore. He was given the key to St. Petersburg on February 13, 2003. Alstott also is the head coach for the Northside Christian Mustangs in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mike lived in Park Ridge. Mike attended Joliet Catholic High School and they were state champions during Mike’s junior year. His senior year Mike rushed for 2,051 yards and 29 touchdowns, while Joliet Catholic finished 12–1. His son Griffin plays quarterback at Western Michigan University.
