Mike Esposito (American football)
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 24, 1953 Everett, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Wilmington (MA) | ||||||||
| College: | Boston College | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975: 7th round, 159th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Michael John Esposito (born April 24, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He attended Wilmington High School in Massachusetts and played college football for the Boston College Eagles.
Esposito was a participant in the 1974 East–West Shrine Game. As part of the game, each player would visit the Shriners Hospitals for Children. While visiting, he noticed Nicole Worley-Urteaga, a two-year-old patient with Holt-Oram syndrome. She appeared frightened 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.