O'Brien Alston
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O'Brien Darwin Alston (born December 21, 1965) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
from 1984 to 1987. The
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) selected Alston in the 10th round of the 1988 NFL draft. He played for Indianapolis for two seasons.


Early life

Alston was born on December 21, 1965, in
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
., Database Football, retrieved December 1, 2010. He attended
Oxon Hill High School Oxon Hill High School (OHHS) is a public senior high school, located in Oxon Hill, an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the United States.Oxon Hill, Maryland Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a close suburb of Washington, located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virgin ...
.


College career

Alston attended the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
, where he played on the
football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
from 1984 to 1987. In 1986, against
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
on a pivotal third-down play, Alston recovered a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...
which was originally ruled an incomplete
pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland *Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *El Paso, Texas, a city which translates to "The Pass" * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see Li ...
. The play helped seal a 10–7 Maryland victory. During the 1987 season, he led the team with 14 tackles for loss for 52 yards.


Professional career

The
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
selected Alston in the 10th round of the 1988 NFL draft with the 270th overall pick. He played for two seasons with the Colts. In 1988, he saw action in 15 games and recorded three sacks. Against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, Alston was moved to start at left
outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...
in relief of
Johnie Cooks Johnie Earl Cooks (November 23, 1958 – July 6, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Cooks was selected by the Baltimore Colts as the second overall pick ...
. The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
counted Alston among a number of rookies who "made big impacts" during the 1988 season. In 1989, he played in four games and recorded one sack. Against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, opposing running back
Freeman McNeil Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was selected by the J ...
threw a low and hard block for
Roger Vick Roger Hamilton Vick (born August 11, 1964) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Fullback (American football), fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagle ...
, which seriously injured Alston's left knee. ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' wrote that McNeil "was so overcome with remorse" he "committed a flagrant act of compassion, all but taking himself out of a game."Bruce Newman, , ''Sports Illustrated'', October 16, 1989. McNeil played poorly for the remainder of the game, in which he missed two blocking assignments and lined up incorrectly on a critical third-down play. After the game, he apologized to the crutch-bound Alston "with tears in his eyes". Alston told McNeil, "These things happen." He suffered a
hyperextended Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...
knee,NFL Notes
''The Milwaukee Journal'', November 1, 1989.
and ended the season on the
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. On October 31, 1989, Alston was hospitalized, but listed in "satisfactory condition" after an automobile accident. He was charged with drunk driving and public intoxication related to the accident. In August 1990, he agreed to undisclosed contract terms with the Colts, but did not play another game in the NFL. In 1992, Alston was selected by the
San Antonio Riders The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texa ...
in the eighth round of the
World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
draft.


Personal life

He has three children - one son and two daughters. His daughters both played college sports. His youngest daughter college basketball and his oldest daughter attended
Bowie State University Bowie State University (Bowie State or BSU) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest his ...
, where she played on the volleyball team in 2009.2009 Volleyball Roster
Bowie State University, September 19, 2009.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Obrien 1965 births Living people Players of American football from New Haven, Connecticut American football linebackers Maryland Terrapins football players Indianapolis Colts players