Mike Alstott: 'Purdue was good to me'

If you close your eyes, you still can envision it: No. 40, Mike Alstott, lowering his hulking shoulders and leveling a hapless defender, rumblin’, bumblin’ and stumblin’ with a running style as subtle as a punch in the nose.

“It’s the only way I knew,” said Alstott.

It’s a style that continues to endear him to Boilermaker fans, who will get a chance to worship the Purdue legend this weekend. He’s back on campus as the honorary captain for the game on Saturday vs. Fresno State, as Purdue takes the wraps off the Ryan Walters‘ era and christens renovated Ross-Ade Stadium.

“Can’t wait,” he said. “I just got here. Flew out from Florida this morning. I’m at the Union now getting ready to head over to the football facility.”

Alstott has been on campus in recent years, as son Griffin was at Purdue as a quarterback before finishing his career at Western Michigan. Still, Alstott relishes his time back in West Lafayette.

“It’s special,” he said. “Purdue was good to me.”

And Alstott was good to Purdue. Very good. Twenty-eight seasons after leaving campus, Alstott still sits atop the all-time rushing chart for the Boilermakers. He ran for 3,635 yards from 1992-95, bulling in (what else?) for 39 touchdowns along the way.

Alstott arrived on campus from Joliet (Ill.) Catholic High in 1992 and left as a Purdue icon. His sledgehammer style was the perfect personification of a Boilermaker, often pin-balling and trucking would-be tacklers while averaging 5.6 yards per tote. Alstott was Purdue Pete with a football tucked under his right arm.

“We had some good guys,” said Alstott, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I look back on my days fondly. It’s good to be back again.

“I still have a lot of good friends from my era. I am here with one of my of teammates (Scott Dobbins). I stay in touch with Ryan Grigson and Chris Koeppen. We had a good time and did all we could to build the program.”

Alstott, 49, spoke to the team on Friday in advance of the noon ET kickoff (BTN) vs. Fresno State.

“Coach Walters has brought a new vibe to the program,” said Alstott. “I am excited to see what he can accomplish.”

Alstott accomplished a lot during his Purdue tenure, earning the apt nickname “A-Train” while routinely steamrolling would-be tacklers. No one will forget the last time Alstott suited up as a Boilermaker in the 1995 season finale at Indiana.

The 6-1, 248-pound Alstott delivered a signature performance that saw him pound the Hoosiers for 264 yards rushing, the second most in school annals. And he could have eclipsed the Purdue all-time single-game record of 276 set by Otis Armstrong in 1972 but opted not to in deference to Armstrong.

Alstott’s final two seasons were his best, running for 1,118 yards in 1994 and 1,436 yards in 1995, still the single-season school standard. He was often the lone bright spot during an often frustrating era under Jim Colletto (1991-96) in which Purdue never reached a bowl.

“Coach Colletto was great,” said Alstott. “He did a lot for my career. We still stay in touch all of the time.”

Alstott’s punishing style endured him to NFL fans, too, spending 11 seasons (1996-2006) in Tampa Bay where he earned enshrinement in the franchise’s Ring of Honor. He helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl, finishing his career with 5,088 yards rushing and 58 TDs. He also made 305 receptions en route to being a four-time All-Pro and six-time Pro-Bowler.

“I was staying busy coaching a high school team for 11 seasons,” said Alstott. “Now, my foundation keeps me busy, as well as my family. I also still do some work for the Buccaneers.”

Could Alstott one day be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

“That’s not up to me,” he said. “I can’t cry about it. I did what I can do. Maybe some day it will happen.

“But for now, it’s just exciting to be back here to be a part of Purdue football”