| Mike Esposito | |
| Number: | 26 |
| Position: | Running back |
| Birth Date: | 24 April 1953 |
| Birth Place: | Everett, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Weight Lb: | 183 |
| Height In: | 0 |
| Draftyear: | 1975 |
| Draftround: | 7 |
| Draftpick: | 159 |
| High School: | Wilmington (MA) |
| College: | Boston College |
| Teams: | |
| Highlights: | |
| Statlabel1: | Rushes |
| Statvalue1: | 101 |
| Statlabel2: | Rushing yards |
| Statvalue2: | 439 |
| Statlabel3: | Rushing TDs |
| Statvalue3: | 2 |
| Pfr: | EspoMi00 |
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. He attended Wilmington High School in Massachusetts[1] [2] and played college football for the Boston College Eagles.[3]
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.[4] [5]