Mike Alstott helps give local military members a once-in-a-lifetime experience during Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp

Mike Alstott isn't just a legend when it comes to Tampa Bay Buccaneer lore - practically anyone who followed NFL football in the 90s and 00s know and appreciate who he is.

He made a huge difference in the lives of Bucs fans and other by providing so many memorable moments on the football field. These days, he's making a difference in people's lives off the field - especially the local Tampa Bay military from MacDill Air Force Base.

Alstott and USAA recently joined forces to provide troops an experience unlike any other. After the Bucs' second training camp practice, Alstott coached and mentored a group of service members as they participated in several NFL drills such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet, and the QB arm challenge in what USAA coined an NFL Boot Camp. 

There was a live leaderboard that captured and monitored participants’ scores in real time to help isolate the winner and of course there is a prize for whomever came out on top: tickets to the Bucs' Salute to Service game against the New England Patriots on November 9. 

"I was very honored in accepting the invitation and to come out here and and represent USAA and and interact with our local military in Tampa Bay and and put them through experience of combine-like drills and and, you know, just be able to show my appreciation to them," Alstott told A to Z Sports.

"It was a great day - a lot of laughs, a lot of interacting. You know, I was asking them probably more questions than they were asking me questions. I was just intrigued with what they do day-to-day, how they go about it, where they lived, and all that stuff. It was a great overall day, and they competed, and it was an awesome setup inside the Buccaneers indoor facility."

The range of service members was pretty vast, too. Men and women from all kinds branches and divisions participated in the fun:

• MacDill AFB
• 6^th Medical Group
• 927^th Reserve Air Refueling Wing
• 6^th Air Refueling Wing
• Joint Communications Support Element
• Special Operations Command
• US Marine Corps Forces, Central Command
• 6^th Marine Recruiting – Tampa
• US Army Recruiting Company – Tampa
• Patrick Space Force Base
• 333^rd Air Force Recruiting Squadron