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The players always KNOW who the scariest "loose cannon - short fuse" crazies are among'em. (The judge ultimately ruled in Matuszak's favor.) The Los Angeles County . Cohen's reaction is captured forever in the movie. The team was seen as a bunch of rebels, and Matuszak's similar attitude and outlook were a perfect match. John Grunenwald was born on January 25, 1928 in Kingston, NY, to John Grunenwald and Frances Grunenwald. John Matuszak was a towering American . a son, E. Wayne, of Leesburg; a daughter, Earlene L. Walton of . Description: John Daniel Tooz Matuszak was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League and also an actor. But just because he was performing well on the field, it didnt mean that hed given up shenanigans all together. John Matuszak, better known by her family name John Daniel Matuszak, was a popular American actor and American football player (1950-1989). ", "John was really nice to me and it was fun to work with him," said Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the iconic film. Inducted into the University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983. They have never stopped happening. December 26, 1976. His first major role was in the 1979 movie North Dallas Forty as a football player. Your IP: The Raiders ended up taking down the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. On a single day in the summer of 1976, he engaged in a wine-soaked tryst with a fan, came to practice tipsy, was sent home, went out drinking with teammates, attended an evening team meeting, was sent home again, went to a bar, took two sleeping pills, and blacked out. After Washington showed him the business end of the cleat, John Matuszak was a free agent, and the Oakland Raiders were kind of desperate. and as recognizable as Indiana Jones. You could argue that portraying an emotionally complex killer biker gang member on Miami Vice and a cop who goes on a vengeful murderous spree in One Man Force somehow resulted in Matuszak backsliding into some of his old, reckless ways, even when he was finally being recognized as a talented, sensitive man, Nevertheless, it seemed as if Matuszak was finally getting his life under control. Matuszak participated in the . Mr. Stetter, who lived in Calabash, N.C., worked for the FBI here for 16 years before retiring in 1952. Matuszak was 6'8" and 280 pounds, so they pretended they didn't know about the vodka and Valium and made him a Raider. He was a graduate of the Powell Business School in his native Scranton, Pa., and Catholic University law school. John Matuszak, John Matuszak Raiders, The Tooz, Matuszak Raiders, Goonies, Sloth Goonies, Sloth, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Raiders, Las Vegas Raiders, Too. The chance to work with Donner and Spielberg was once-in-a-lifetime. "The Tooz" joined the Raiders after a year with the Houston Oilers and two with the Kansas City Chiefs. Raiders 24 -Steelers 7. John "The Tooz" Matuszak, 38, the former hard-hitting, hard-living defensive lineman with the Oakland Raiders who played on two Super Bowl teams before turning to an acting career, died June 17 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. We spoke to each other as if something had happened to one of us, trading our stories, sharing our laughter, and hoping he was somewhere safe. . His biography, Cruisin' with the Tooz, written with Steve Delsohn, was published in 1987. An autopsy was inconclusive and further tests were scheduled. What role could they give me - the tooth fairy? John Daniel Matuszak was once a scrawny, awkward kid from the Midwest. ", Cozart had a wedding dress and the stamps were on the invitations, but she called off their wedding when Matuszak failed, once again, to meet his 90-days-sober goal. He even seemed to have kicked his drug habit, according to his 1987 autobiography Cruisin With the Tooz. $149.99. Hisfirst lead rolecame in the 1985 adventure comedy filmThe Goonies. ; two sisters, Gertrude Robey of Alexandria, and Thelma Rogers of Winchester, Va.; and six grandchildren. 1 pick in the 1973 National Football League draft. [11], Last edited on 26 December 2022, at 03:36, "The Life and Times of the Tooz: Menacing Body Held Spirit of Insecure, Guilt-Ridden Child", "Former NFL great John Matuszak dead at 38", "The Top Five: Move over, Moss and T.O. She was a member of the Mary Washington chapter No. Year one didn't go so hot: They won a single game, and lost 13. He was also a member of Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in Alexandria. Matuszak's off-the-field troubles also started in college. His primary income source was through his acting and football career. Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, took two of his siblings and sickened his younger sister, Dawn, who died in 1991, just a couple years after her superstar brother. The staff did not quibble with the Tooz's tales of his long trip from the South Pole. "We're never going to have to hear that (expletive) song again.". At 6-foot-9, Mr. Matuszak, who played with the Raiders from 1976 to 1981, was an imposing sight on the field, staring down opponents with a black-bearded scowl before shooting off the defensive line with great speed for his 280 pounds. Instead, it's almost poetic to think that his large heart was actually literal. Browse 11 dt john matuszak stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. In 1986 a male dancer accused him of assault and sued him for $1.5 million. When they offered the rookie a contract, they lowballed him. Matuszak was notorious for sneaking women into his room at training camp and even somehow onto the team plane. Cookies help us deliver our Services. donated time to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Matuszak was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Before the 1976 season, the Chiefs traded him to the Washington Redskins, where he was cut two weeks later. I think about the game plan, and then I go through all the little things that are almost impossible to do. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Coach Devine left after that season, and the new coach didn't want Tooz around. But what he didn't give the world in offspring, he gave in winning memories for Raiders fans, and a unlikely movie hero for legions of '80s children who wanted Sloth to be their big buddy. Check out our john matuszak selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. He had two brothers, but both died of cystic fibrosis at young ages. He was a brawler, a partier, and a guy who didn't want to take responsibility for his actions, but he loved children and he was known for his generosity. Unfortunately, both his brothers died at an early age due to a disease called cystic fibrosis. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. But John Matuszak was only 38 when he died, so maybe he needed a few more years. Paperback. Home > Oakland Raiders > John Matuszak Jersey. Football defined John Matuszak's life. The Oilers were unsurprisingly unimpressed, and the LA Times said they even went as far as sending a team of lawmen to a football game to chase Matuszak around the sidelines with a subpoena. However, whenever anyone met him, worked with him, or enjoyed life with him, they came away knowing he was a giving person and a gentle giant. Seven years later, Matuszak would join Belushi on the list of actors who died in their prime. One year, while with the Raiders, he played Santa Claus at a children's hospital, and the emotions that came with it changed his mind and outlook. Tragic Details About The Actor Who Played Sloth. The bullying was part of what inspired Matuszak to become an athlete a tall, bulky, football player is a whole lot less vulnerable to ridicule than a tall, skinny, beanpole. Ironically, it was Paul Wiggin, the Chief's coach, who saved his life and then traded him to the Washington Redskins just seven days after he was released from the hospital. You sit out a game and your replacement could steal your job, so you play with the pain which sometimes leads to even more injuries. 18: Daughter: Helen Matuszak. Matuszak reflected, in this moment, upon how deeply affected he had been by seeing Muhammad Ali on TV after Ali's career had taken a physical toll and made the legendary boxer into a shell of his former self. He was in the middle of an overdose of whiskey and pills. . It was tough to quit football. John Matuszak. According to the LA Times, in one incident, The Tooz got into a semi-kidding argument with assistant coach Terry Robiskie, who was also a former teammate. So in a way, those mean kids gave the world "The Tooz," the guy who would not only become one of the NFL's most charismatic football players, but also one of the most memorable movie icons of the 1980s. The man who was once teased as a gawky beanpole in grade school was now a 6'8", 280-pound menace who helped get the Raiders to a 13-1 record in '76. Matuszak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Audrey and Marvin Matuszak. During his second season with the Oilers, John Matuszak got restless. John graduated from Kingston High School in 1945 an went on to earn a masters degree in Political Science from the University of Miami in 1971. He played for the University of Missouri during college, and was drafted into professional football for two teams at once, the Houston Oilers in the NFL and the Houston Texans . Matuszak also played for various NFL teams--his longest stint of six years having been spent with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders--and later joined . If you go through those things in your mind, you can do them. Boredom set in quickly: He was alone and depressed, desperately missing the joy and structure of football. Matuszak, a defensive lineman from the University of Tampa, was the Houston Oilers' first-round pick in 1973. During one of his football training camps, he added Valium to his beer, which nearly killed him. Matuszak was born in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'biographyhost_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-banner-1-0'); According toCelebrity Net Worth, Matuszak had an estimated net worth equivalent to $400 thousand when he died in 1990. Later, Matuszak celebrated with Chivas Regal and prescriptions, and then passed out. Matuszak was taken from his Los Angeles home to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank on Saturday night suffering apparent massive heart failure, said Hospital spokeswoman Terri G . [5][6], Matuszak's football career was often overshadowed by his lifestyle. Matuszak died on June 17, 1989, as a result of acute propoxyphene intoxication, an accidental overdose of the prescription drug Darvocet, according to the findings of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Matuszak, 38, died in June at St. Josephs Medical Center in Burbank. Tragically, within four years of that family classic's release, the ex-NFL player passed away aged just 38, due to an accidental overdose of a since-outlawed prescription painkiller. The university didn't like that, and revoked his scholarship. He starred in a short-lived 1985 prime-time television series, "Hollywood Beat," playing George Grinsky, a huge gay informant whose business was used by undercover cops working in Hollywood. He regularly took the painkiller Darvocet to keep away severe back pains, which led to his heart failure. While playing for the Oilers, he joined the Houston Texans of the World Football League (WFL), playing a total of seven plays before a restraining order was served to him during a game, barring him from playing for two teams at the same time.His first major role as an actor was in the 1979 movie "North Dallas Forty" as a football player. People inspired by their favorite person's . John Daniel Matuszak was once a scrawny, awkward kid from the Midwest. Daughter. His one sister also had the disease. John Daniel Matuszak has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which he earned from his occupation as actor and American football player. For formal education, his parents enrolled him at Oak Creek High School. Mike Ornstein, the Raiders office worker who'd been assigned "Keeper of the Tooz," remembered his softer side: "He was a very, very good person and he had a great heart for kids. He regularly visited his sister in the hospital where she would receive treatment for her cystic fibrosis. View John Matuszak results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. If you were an '80s kid and you didn't know about John "The Tooz" Matuszak who was just as famous for his hard-partying, loud, larger-than-life persona as he was for his football game you definitely knew about his alter-ego, the enormous, gentle, unconventionally-featured Sloth, who was the face of the 1985 classic Goonies. The displeased Oilers traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for Curley Culp, another player who had threatened to jump to the WFL, and a first-round draft choice in 1975 on October 22, 1974. Matuszakbecame the NFL's first pickof the Houston Oilers in 1973. But the cause of death was listed as an accidental overdose of a prescription drug. Home; Trees; . Usually, starting with a new team brings about a fresh start. But the story behind the actor who played Sloth is almost as unbelievable as the plot of The Goonies. . There was also cocaine in his system but the amount was so small it was not considered to have contributed to his death.. 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