O'Brien Darwin Alston is an American former football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

. He played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 for the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

 from 1984 to 1987. The Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 selected Alston in the 10th round of the 1988 NFL Draft

1988 NFL Draft

The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...

. He played for Indianapolis for two seasons.

Early life

Alston was born on December 21, 1965 in New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

. He attended Oxon Hill High School

Oxon Hill High School

Oxon Hill High School 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 Oxon Hill, Maryland

Oxon Hill, Maryland

Oxon Hill is part of the Oxon Hill-Glassmanor census-designated place in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a suburb of Washington, DC located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virginia...

.

College career

Alston attended the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

, where he played on the football team

Maryland Terrapins football

The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 from 1984 to 1987. In 1986, against Pittsburgh

1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1986 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1986 college football season.-Schedule:-Team Players drafted into in the NFL:...

 on a pivotal third-down play, Alston recovered a fumble

Fumble

A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

 which was originally ruled an incomplete pass

Forward pass

In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...

. 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

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 selected Alston in the 10th round of the 1988 NFL Draft

1988 NFL Draft

The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...

 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

Quarterback sack

In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...

. Against the Chicago Bears

1988 Chicago Bears season

The 1988 Chicago Bears season was their 69th regular season and 19th postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 12-4 record, winning the NFC Central for the fifth straight season, but lost in the NFC Championship Game. Coach Mike Ditka suffered a heart attack during the...

, Alston was moved to start at left outside linebacker in relief of Johnie Cooks

Johnie Cooks

Johnie Earl Cooks is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the second overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. A 6'4", . linebacker from Mississippi State University, Cooks played in ten NFL seasons from 1982-1991 for the Colts, New York Giants, and...

. The Associated Press

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 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

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, opposing running back Freeman McNeil

Freeman McNeil

Freeman McNeil is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New York Jets in the 1st round of the 1981 NFL Draft....

 threw a low and hard block for Roger Vick

Roger Vick

Roger Vick is a former professional American football running back/fullback in the NFL for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles from 1987 to 1990. He played college football at Texas A&M University. He also played on the Orlando Thunder in the World League.-External links:*...

, which seriously injured Alston's left knee. Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

wrote that McNeil was "was so overcome with remorse" he "committed a flagrant act of compassion, all but taking himself out of a game." 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

Extension (kinesiology)

In kinesiology, extension is a movement of a joint that results in increased angle between two bones or body surfaces at a joint. Extension usually results in straightening of the bones or body surfaces involved. For example, extension is produced by extending the flexed elbow. Straightening of...

 knee, and ended the season on the injured reserve

Injured reserve

The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...

. 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

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 in the Alamo Stadium in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles northeast of San...

 in the eighth round of the World League of American Football

World League of American Football

The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...

 draft.

Personal life

His daughter attended Bowie State University

Bowie State University

Bowie State University , is a public university located on 355½ acres in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, north of the suburban city of Bowie. Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland...

, where she played on the volleyball team in 2009.