Feb. 24, 2003 -- A former Denver Bronco football player and a dinosaur that roamed Wyoming 145 million years ago had little in common until National Geographic magazine examined their medical backgrounds.

National Geographic photographers last summer visited the University of Wyoming Geological Museum to film Mark Schlereth, a former offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins, along with the cast of the fossil remains of "Big Al," a 25-foot long carnivorous Allosaurus.

The March issue of National Geographic features a photograph of Big Al and Schlereth in a story about dinosaur behavior and activities, says Brent Breithaupt, UW Geological Museum director.

The "rough and tumble" lives of Big Al and Schlereth inspired the photo shoot, he says. Big Al, the most complete Allosaurus ever found, has 19 injured bones. Schlereth, who retired in 2001 after 12 seasons an an NFL offensive lineman, underwent 29 operations, including 20 on his knees.

Both are media celebrities, Breithaupt adds. Big Al was featured in 1991 on CNN when the fossil was found in northern Wyoming, and was the star of a 2001 BBC production "Walking With Dinosaurs" that was broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Schlereth played on Super Bowl champion teams with the Broncos and Redskins, does commentary for ESPN and hosts a Denver sports talk show.

Schlereth, in full football attire, posed for most of a day under warm lights inside a specially-constructed display booth. "That wasn't an easy day of work," Breithaupt says. "But now he knows what it's like to be a museum specimen."

Pointing to Big Al during the shoot, Schlereth quipped "its knees look a lot better than mine."

The National Geographic article is the latest high-profile coverage of UW Geological Museum exhibits. The museum, the oldest in Wyoming, has been host to Walter Cronkite, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, the BBC, and Canadian, Japanese and Spanish film crews. The museum is seen on dinosaur programs shown worldwide. New displays, books and posters on Big Al will appear later this year, Breithaupt says.