Michael John Esposito (born April 24, 1953) is a former
American football running back in the
National Football League (NFL). He played for the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He attended
Wilmington High School in Massachusetts and played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisio ...
.
Esposito was a participant in the 1974
East–West Shrine Game
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
. As part of the game, each player would visit the
Shriners Hospitals for Children. While visiting, he noticed Nicole Worley-Urteaga, a 2-year-old patient with Holt-Oram syndrome. She appeared scared and was crying. Esposito took her hand to calm her down and they walked down the hallway together. A photographer from a local newspaper noticed the scene and snapped a photo of the two. The image became the inspiration for the official logo of the East-West Shrine Game and is displayed annually on the 50-yard line.
References
1953 births
Living people
American football running backs
Atlanta Falcons players
Boston College Eagles football players
Sportspeople from Everett, Massachusetts
Players of American football from Massachusetts
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