Where Are They Now?

     

John Matuszak

John Matuszak made a major mark on Tampa while attending the University of Tampa. He had the reputation of never meeting a fight he didn’t want to start or join in on. He was tall, real tall (6 feet, 8 inches), weighed over 280 pounds, and you didn’t want to encounter him when he was mad. But as big a man as he was, he had a heart to match.

“Tooz,” as they called him, came to Tampa in 1968 at the age of 18 to attend the University of Tampa and, more than that, to take advantage of a scholarship that would pay his tuition there, put him on the football team as a shining Spartan and line him up for a lucrative spot on the NFL roster once he completed his studies. That happened.

The Tooz worked hard but played even harder. If there wasn’t a party somewhere during his off time, he would make one happen. When anybody got out of line, he’d be towering over them, ready to pounce and send them across the Hillsborough River and into oblivion. His name became familiar all over the city, especially on the police radio. “Tooz” became synonymous with “scuffle” and “disturbance.”

He was a generous guy who gave lots of time to charitable functions and was especially fond of giving his time to disabled children. It was a side of him that didn’t get nearly enough publicity.

Needless to say, he was a big star as defensive end with the UT Spartans. In 1973, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers. After a brief stint with the Kansas City Chief’s in the mid-70’s, he joined the Oakland Raiders, where he played five seasons and helped win two Super Bowls under Coach John Madden.

In 1978, he won the World’s Strongest Man competition, weighing in at 308 pounds but had the title withdrawn after news of his drug use was exposed.

After football, he went to Hollywood to get into movies and television. Some of his films were: “North Dallas 40,” 1979 with Nick Nolte; “Caveman,” 1981, with Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid and Shelly Long; “Ice Pirates,” 1984 with Ron Perlman and John Carradine; and Steven Spielberg’s “The Goonies” filmed in 1985 with Sean Astin and Josh Brolin.

He appeared in numerous television shows and was a regular in an early HBO sitcom in the early 80’s called “First and 10,” with Delta Burke and O. J. Simpson.

Worn down by years of drug use, including steroids, Matuszak’s heart gave out during a television production in Hollywood in June, 1989.






Copyright © 2005 By TEDD WEBB • All Rights Reserved