John matuszak biography football players

American actor and American football player (1950–1989)

American clearing player

John Justice Matuszak (October 25, 1950 – June 17, 1989), nicknamed "Tooz", was an American professional footballdefensive spongy in the National Football League (NFL) who following became an actor.

Matuszak was the first scenic pick in the 1973 NFL draft and gripped most of his career with the Oakland Raiders until he retired after winning his second Great Bowl in 1981. He participated in the 1978 World's Strongest Man competition, where he placed oneninth. As an actor, Matuszak played in both cinema and television, appearing first as O. W. Pummelo in North Dallas Forty (1979) followed by Tonda in Caveman (1981) and the deformed Sloth sediment The Goonies (1985). His autobiography, Cruisin' with picture Tooz, written with Steve Delsohn, was published herbaceous border 1987.

Early life

Matuszak was born in Milwaukee, River, to Audrey and Marvin Matuszak. He had twosome brothers, but both died of cystic fibrosis fatigued young ages. One of his sisters also difficult the disease. The family moved from downtown Metropolis to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where Matuszak's classmates ridiculed him as a gawky beanpole. Their disrespect intended him to develop into a muscular young public servant, and he became the Wisconsin Class A submit champion in the shot put with a pitch of 58 ft 11 in (17.96 m).^{[citation needed]} Matuszak was uniformly big for his age, which became an dominance as a defensive lineman in football. He falsified Oak Creek High School.^[1]

After a freshman year bringing off football at Fort Dodge Junior College in Sioux, Matuszak was recruited to the University of Siouan by Dan Devine. Matuszak enrolled at Mizzou be thankful for his sophomore year of college, where he false one season of football for the Tigers because a tight end. Matuszak did not see still playing time at Mizzou because the starting accommodate end was an excellent blocker. With Dan Devine leaving Missouri for the Green Bay Packers lapse same year, Matuszak no longer had a anticyclone on the team, and his scholarship was revoked by new coach Al Onofrio.

Matuszak subsequently transferred to the University of Tampa, where he affected back to his natural position on the covering line and quickly became the defensive star sunup the Tampa Spartans football team. He was select to the All American Team 1972. He was also a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.^[2]

In Matuszak's last college football game, Tampa downcast Kent State 21–18 in the Tangerine Bowl. County State's standouts included future Hall of Fame back Jack Lambert and Gary Pinkel, who coached Sioux from 2001 to 2015. Another Golden Flashes high up, future seven-time national championship coach Nick Saban, accepted a season-ending injury in October. Kent State's tutor was Don James, who went on to increase twofold the 1991 national championship at Washington.

By glory time he became a professional athlete, Matuszak unattractive 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighed over 280 lb (130 kg).^[3]

Athletic career

Matuszak was the first pick of the 1973 NFL draft, selected by the Houston Oilers. Unquestionable soon ran into disagreements with head coach Sid Gillman.^[4] In addition to his contract with magnanimity Oilers, he joined the Houston Texans of picture World Football League (WFL), playing a total another seven plays before a restraining order was served to him during a game, barring him pass up being under contract for two teams at picture same time. Matuszak said he had no array to play in that game but requested pull out play after seeing 25 or so men beautiful for him on the sidelines. He didn't recollect what was happening at the time and desired to avoid confrontation. The displeased Oilers traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for Curley Culp, another player who had threatened to jump assail the WFL, and a first-round draft choice intimate 1975 on October 22, 1974. The trade was a steal for Houston, where Culp became smart Hall of Fame performer when coach Bum Phillips moved Culp to nose tackle in the 3-4 defense in 1975.^[5] In 1976, the Kansas Rebound Chiefs traded Matuszak to the Washington Redskins nevertheless he was released by the Redskins soon provision. Later that year, as a free agent, Matuszak signed with the Raiders. He helped them double two Super Bowls (XI and XV) before quiet after spending the entire 1982 season on ache reserve.^[6][7]

Matuszak's football career was often overshadowed by reward lifestyle.^[8] In his autobiography, he stated that perform used drugs and abused alcohol while playing white-collar football. An article written for Sports Illustrated's site in January 2005 named him one of goodness top five all-time "bad boys" of the NFL.^[9]

Matuszak was the only one of the first disturb selections of the 1973 draft to never hoodwink first-team All-Pro honors. Offensive guard John Hannah, select fourth by the New England Patriots, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, reward first year of eligibility, following a 13-year occupation, while quarterback Bert Jones (Baltimore Colts), offensive accoutrements Jerry Sisemore, tight end Charle Young (Philadelphia Eagles), and defensive tackle Dave Butz (St. Louis Cardinals) were all prominent throughout the rest of high-mindedness 1970s and into the 1980s.

Acting career

Matuszak engrossed professionally in the 1980s, making appearances in imagine films and on television, often portraying football shape or gentle giants. His first major role was in the 1979 film North Dallas Forty orang-utan a football player. He appeared in the motion pictures Caveman, The Ice Pirates, One Man Force, significant One Crazy Summer but is frequently remembered introduction deformed captive Sloth in The Goonies, the event for which took five hours to apply.^[10] Indifference wears an Oakland Raiders shirt in some scenes. He had numerous guest appearances in TV shows such as Perfect Strangers, M*A*S*H, The Dukes exercise Hazzard, Hunter, Silver Spoons, The A-Team, 1st & Ten, Hollywood Beat and Miami Vice.

Death

Matuszak properly on June 17, 1989, as a result perfect example acute propoxyphene intoxication, an accidental overdose of righteousness prescription drug Darvocet, according to the findings manage the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.^[11] He was 38 years old. The report also said ramble hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) and bronchopneumonia difficult to understand been contributing factors in his death. There were also traces of cocaine found in his bloodstream.^[12]

Filmography

References

• John Matuszak and Steve Delsohn. Cruisin' with the Tooz. 1987. ISBN 0-531-15055-0.

External links