if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'biographyhost_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',164,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-4-0'); For formal education, his parents enrolled him at Oak Creek High School. Witnesses offer conflicting accounts, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Mars Voltas lead singer broke with Scientology and reunited with the band. But John Matuszak was only 38 when he died, so maybe he needed a few more years. He is a member of famous with the age 39 years old group. According to author Kevin Cook, Matuszak fled to a nearby cemetery and hid behind a gravestone. Even John Matuszak's fiancee Stephanie Cozart couldn't convince him to stay clean. Year one didn't go so hot: They won a single game, and lost 13. Everything in his life was large: The wins on the field at any cost, the painkillers needed to offset those costs, the meals needed to sustain his lifestyle. "Car troubles" could have been the name of his biography: He amassed a long rap sheet of arrests, including ones for aggressive driving, careless driving, possession of drugs, and drunken driving. news Surprisingly he turned out to be a pretty good actor. ), High school baseball: Southern Section playoff pairings, Dig this: Long Beach States Mason Briggs could be next big thing at libero, Kentucky Derby storylines: Training death puts early pall over Churchill Downs, Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies: How to watch, start times and betting odds, Elliott: Pissed off Kings must improve in key areas to break Oilers playoff stranglehold. Still, what people mostly paid attention to were his wild antics and his being a maniac on the football field. One such incident happened when he got into a fender bender in 1987. It was Jakes first football game. Matuszak's life was a multifaceted one. His dad only cared about his grades, and that's the one field where his son wasn't a champion. Matuszak participated in the 1978 World's Strongest Man competition, where he placed ninth. Kids are mean. He prayed to stop growing, but he only grew taller. 22; past commander of the Old Dominion Commandry No. 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. He is currently single. LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Former Oakland Raider John Matuszak, the hard-hitting, hard-living football player who played in two Super Bowls before becoming an actor, died at age 38 of unknown causes, officials said Sunday. The report also said that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) and bronchopneumonia had been contributing factors in Matuszak's death. Matuszak retired in 1982 and focused entirely on acting. John Matuszak Clips from MASH TV show (2006) Hallmark Channelhttps://www.patreon.com/VHSVCRPlease support me on Patreonhttps://teespring.com/stores/vhs-vcrCh. Here we added John Matuszak Net worth, Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Weight, Qualification, Favorite things, Bio, and more.. John Matuszak Personal Details. An article written for Sports Illustrated' s website in January 2005 named him one of the top five all-time "bad boys" of the NFL. Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Matuszak cut a commanding figure on his own, and, in fact, before he was an actor, he was a champion athlete. John Matuszak was in a relationship with Stephanie Cozart Burton (1980 - 1989). The joke at the time was that you didnt have to be a convicted felon to play for the Raiders, but it helped. Maybe because Matuszak fit in with this team full of screw-ups and misfits, he finally buckled down and began to perform up to his potential. According to our Database, He has no children. He then joined Fort Dodge Junior College and played football in his first year. At 39 years old, John Matuszak height Unfortunately, The Tooz's big heart just couldn't handle all the excesses it had been forced to endure over the far too-short life of the man it belonged to. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Forces in England. Shaddock in the 1979 filmNorth Dallas Forty. His teammates tried to rouse him, but he was unresponsive. John Matuszak led a life of excesses, regardless of his physical pain. I take nothing, not even sleeping pills., Ive hit damn near bottom. Actor: The Goonies. His best known role was as the deformed Sloth in the 1985 movie The Goonies. When they offered the rookie a contract, they lowballed him. He also belonged to the Scottish Rite, Kena Temple Shrine and the Royal Arch. The chance to work with Donner and Spielberg was once-in-a-lifetime. He helped them win two Super Bowls (XI and XV), before retiring after spending the entire 1982 season on injured reserve. His movie credits included "North Dallas Forty," "Caveman" and "Ice Pirates." He was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played most of his career with the Oakland Raiders until he retired after winning his second Super Bowl in 1981. He had numerous guest appearances in TV shows such as Perfect Strangers, M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hunter, Silver Spoons, The A-Team, 1st & Ten and Miami Vice. Survivors include her husband of 47 years, George O. Clark, of Annapolis; two daughters, Karen Coffman, of Annapolis, and Laurie Richardson, of Richmond; a brother, E. Gordon Hershey, of Ocala, Fla., and three grandsons. We will not be able to determine an exact cause of death until we get the results of toxicological, neurological and microscopic lab tests, said coroners investigator Claude Boucher. He was born John Daniel Matuszak in Oak Creek, Wis. No one is really sure. In 1972, Matuszak made a place in the All American Team. Ian Reso, both of Virginia Beach; a stepdaughter, Patricia Lee Reso of Chicago, and one grandchild. Their disrespect motivated him to develop into a muscular young man, and Matuszak became the Wisconsin Class A state champion in the shot put with a throw of 58ft 11in (17.96m). After that, Matuszak was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, who traded him to the Washington Redskins, who cut him just two weeks later, at the end of the 1976 preseason. He died as a result of "acute propoxyphene intoxication," a painkiller known by the trade name of Darvon, at the untimely age of 38. They give those out at the [AA and CA] meetings. He then engaged in the private practice of law in Washington until becoming an administrative law judge. John Matuszak, better known by the Family name John Daniel Matuszak, was a popular Actor, Model, Producer. John Matuszak, a former NFL defensive end, played Sloth in "The Goonies." The 6-foot-8, 280-pound defensive lineman . The reason for his death was an overdose of a prescription painkiller called Darvocet, which led to his heart failure. Later he joined Cocaine Anonymous (CA), and then Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). For one thing, the Oilers were then the worst team in the NFL. Matuszak's days of losing were over: One season in, and he was already Super Bowl bound. In it he writes: I abstain from cocaine, and any other foreign substance, entirely now. It was followed by his appearances in the movieCaveman(1981) andThe Ice Pirates(1984). His career was indeed an endless stream of injuries. 1 seed for Division 1 baseball playoffs, High school tennis: Southern Section playoff pairings. At his funeral, his pastor noted that he'd often donated time to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. But when it came to John Matuszak, trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went. John Matuszak played 123 games over his career . Matuszak enrolled at Mizzou for his sophomore year of college, where he played one season of football for the Tigers as a tight end. Explore John Matuszak Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Wife, Family relation. The county coroners office found that his death had resulted from an accidental overdose of a narcotic painkiller, aggravated by an enlarged heart and pneumonia. He pleaded guilty, but then told a reporter: "Some guy purposely caused an accident." As a result, as he put it, "painkillers are a way of life in the NFL." He died in 1989 of an accidental propoxyphene overdose. He coached football at a Christian summer camp and spent the evenings reading Bible verses with them. In 1981, Matuszak made headlines for partying the night before the Raiders' second Super Bowl victory. Family tragedy followed by early fame set him on a course of self-destruction that ended in his sudden and unexpected death at the age of 38. Matuszak's family also struggled with a brutal history of cystic fibrosis. Turns out, the pummelee was an Air Force cadet who ended up with 18 fractures in his face he needed a whopping 10 hours of surgery to be made whole again. The team was seen as a bunch of rebels, and Matuszak's similar attitude and outlook were a perfect match. John Daniel Matuszak (October 25, 1950 June 17, 1989) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who later became an actor. Wiggin got into the ambulance with Matuszak and pounded on his chest until he came around, accomplishing what the paramedics could not. He regularly took the painkiller Darvocet to keep away severe back pains, which led to his heart failure. In Matuszak's last college football game, Tampa defeated Kent State 21-18 in the Tangerine Bowl. Following his sophomore season at Mizzou, Matuszak transferred to the University of Tampa, where he became the star of their football team. Discover John Matuszak's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. There were also traces of cocaine found in his bloodstream. We won't really ever know because he never got a chance to grow older and wiser. It was with the Missouri Tigers that he had his first real injury. But the story behind the actor who played Sloth is almost as unbelievable as the plot of The Goonies. He had one sister and two brothers. Unfortunately, both his brothers died at an early age due to a disease called cystic fibrosis. It doesn't matter if you're too short, too tall, too fat, or too skinny they're going to find something about you to pick on. How many get to win two Super Bowls and become famous as an iconic film character like Sloth? Of course, he played Sloth in the Goonies, but Matuszak was also involved in a number of other acclaimed films. His marriage to Patricia Ann Stetter ended in divorce. He had lived in North Carolina since 1982. The family moved from downtown Milwaukee to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where Matuszak's classmates ridiculed him as a gawky beanpole. Unfortunately, the story didnt end there, In June of 1989, it appeared that John Matuszak did go back. He died as a result of acute propoxyphene intoxication, a painkiller known by the trade name of Darvon, at the untimely age of 38. Survivors include his wife, Louise B. Griffith of Alexandria; a son, E . The winning continued, and they got back to the promised land in 1979 for Super Bowl XV in New Orleans. John Matuszak's net worth, height, age, weight, affair, relationship, family, movie update, and more are highlighted below. John Matuszak girlfriend, wife list. (1982),The Dukes of Hazzard(1984),The Fall Guy(1985),Benson(1985),1st & Ten: The Championship(1987),The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission(1988),Superboy(1989), among many others. But because of the many injuries hed sustained during his career, his heavy use of painkillers continued. 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. By Michael Palan / April 8, 2021 4:39 pm EST. Tragic Details About The Actor Who Played Sloth. 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. He had numerous guest appearances in TV shows such as Perfect Strangers, M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hunter, Silver Spoons, The A-Team, 1st & Ten and Miami Vice. He said he had no plans to play in that game but requested to play after seeing about 25 men looking for him on the sidelines. But its no secret that at one time he had an excessive lifestyle, and it might have taken its toll physically.. So, he bulked up his grades at Fort Dodge, a junior college. Matuszak appeared in the movies Caveman, The Ice Pirates, One Man Force, and One Crazy Summer, but is frequently remembered as deformed captive Sloth in The Goonies, the make-up for which took five hours to apply. John Matuszak was in an on-screen matchup with Barbara Bach in Caveman (1981). Matuszak enjoyed "enough parties for twenty people's lives", and especially lived it up during the season onWednesdays, AKA "Tooz Day." And his next career was already in motion. He is not dating anyone. Drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 1st round (1st overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft. His first major role was in the 1979 movie North Dallas Forty as a football player. He was back to square one of rehabilitation. Matuszak died of a drug overdose. The Houston Oilers made him the No. Coach Devine left after that season, and the new coach didn't want Tooz around. "I ordered a cake," said Cozart. But it's also true that it wasn't just the pain that led to their son's struggles with illegal and legal substances years of hard partying and drug abuse had steered him too far down a path that was extremely difficult to come back from. Matuszak did not see much playing time at Mizzou because the starting tight end was an excellent blocker. He appeared on such TV shows as "M*A*S*H," "Trapper John, M.D." photos, In his book about sports heroes,John Schulian wrote that after the death of his 2-year-old brother, Matuszak, who was 12 or 13 years old at the time, took it upon himself to buy shoes for the child to be buried in because he heard his mother crying that her son's feet were too swollen to fit into the pair he already owned. He is from United States. Observers expected John Matuszak to be a much better player when he entered the NFL. Seven years later, Matuszak would join Belushi on the list of actors who died in their prime. Matuszak and his just-mentioned wife had a not unexpected rocky relationship. He swiftly became a man in demand, appearing in a hodgepodge of '80s awesomeness likeM*A*S*H, Ice Pirates, The Dukes of Hazzard, Silver Spoons,The A-Team, Miami Vice, and Perfect Strangers. 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. The Raiders ended up taking down the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. In 1987,Matuszak got in yet another car accident, but instead of exchanging insurance information which would have been perfectly cordial given that Matuszak was huge and anyone who was on the receiving end of a fender-bender with the guy would have almost certainly been really understanding Matuszak decided to punch the driver and leave the scene. Matuszak also played for various NFL teams; his longest stint of six years having been spent with . John Matuszak was born on October 25, 1950, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, United States He grew up there with his Family. 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. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He lived in Alexandria. Tooz was a top pick, and the team was hoping he'd turn the moribund franchise around. [1], After a freshman year playing football at Fort Dodge Junior College in Iowa, Matuszak was recruited to the University of Missouri by Dan Devine. also an actor. According to the LA Times, he had an excuse for all of them, ranging from swerving to avoid a child to not knowing there was marijuana in the car. In the first four years of his professional career, Matuszak played for four different teams. American Football (American) Player John Matuszak was born John Daniel Matuszak on 25th October, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and passed away on 17th Jun 1989 Burbank, California aged 38. Matuszak was born in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Also, during his stint with the Raiders, Matuszak enjoyed a breakfast of bagels and Cheez Whiz, and also drugs. "I have a little velvet box at home," Cozart told the LA Times. Mr. Matuszak also wrote his autobiography, "Cruisin' With The Tooz." The Goonies: 25th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]. In Silver Spring's Oak View community where she had lived for 27 years, Mrs. Spencer was a founder of the citizens association and the community pool. John Matuszak has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. The pain in his body almost equaled the pain of not being able to be with his teammates on the field. As his fame grew, so did his personality, which stretched way beyond the gridiron. Why was his stint in Washington so short-lived? "It's full of 30-day and 60-day chips. Cause of Death. Matuszak said he had no plans to play in that game but requested to play after seeing 25 or so men looking for him on the sidelines. Matuszak's character Sloth wears an Oakland Raiders shirt in some scenes. PITTSBURGH 1982 - OL Rick Donnalley told Cincinnati Post he used steroids. He also couldn't have asked for a better coach either, as he finally found one he could respect and play even harder for: The one and only John Madden. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 25 October. Luckily, his coach rushed him to the hospital and saved his life. John Matuszak's personal life was also affected by all the hard-partying. The Los Angeles County coroner also found non-lethal traces of cocaine in the 38-year-old Matuszak's system. To his family, John Matuszak was known as a gentle kid with a heart that matched his size, but his past experiences with bullying contributed to his public persona mean, prone to angry outbursts, and larger-than-life. John Matuszak Education. But he still ended up with a solid career. Matuszak, John Football John Matusak signed back of shirt of Jack Kauffman who held his son Jake, 9 months old. Kent State's coach was Don James, who went on to win the 1991 national championship at Washington. Matuszak was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played most of his career with the Oakland Raiders until he retired after winning his second Super Bowl in 1981. The night after an exhibition game with the Oilers at the Astrodome, he had a game the next night at the same exact venue, with a different team, in a different league. 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. From Times Wire Services. Different sites and sources claim Matuszak's height differently. In 1974, while he was still playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, he upset his wife, so she tried to run him over with their Cadillac convertible. John Daniel Tooz Matuszak was an American professional football defensive lineman in the National Football League and Though Matuszak survived, his career in Kansas City did not, and he was shipped off to the Washington Redskins. Matuszak apparently hadnt learned his lesson about drugs and alcohol because he was dropped from that team as well when coach George Allen expressed concerns over is diet of Vodka and Valium, the breakfast of champions., Finally, Matuszak ended up playing for the Oakland Raiders under the famous coach John Madden. Matuszak was enormously excited to work with Donner and producer Steven Spielberg, whom he called "the Al Davis of Hollywood.". Still, it was worth it, according to Tooz. So, no lessons learned. He also appeared in a number of cult classics including Caveman, One Crazy Summer, Ice Pirates, and as mentioned, The Goonies. Matuszak's other notable movies areOne Crazy Summer(1986),Ghost Writer(1989),The Princess and the Dwarf(1989), and many others. He played a disfigured character Sloth Fratelli in the film. So it was off to the University of Tampa for Matuszak, an "outlaw school" where undesirables went to be desired. Matuszak was then picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs, only to be dropped after head coach Paul Wiggin found him unconscious and not breathing one day. She later promised him that she'd set another wedding date when he finally got a 90-day chip, but the Goonies star always failed. And when he misbehaved so blatantly that they couldn't really ignore what he'd done, they usually just laughed about it. But his father, who had no interest in sports, showed him no affection he attended only one of John's games. IMDB claimshis height to be 6 feet 7 inches, but according towashingtonpost.com, he was 6 feet 9 inches tall. She attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. During World War II, she worked here as a driver with the American Red Cross. Just as in life, Matuszak was defined by potential only barely realized, his struggle with addiction and, something you couldnt see at first glance: a big heart. Matuszak tried to take it easy on his back while filming. The report also said that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart) and bronchopneumonia had been contributing factors in his death. College football was the next logical step for Matuszak, but his 1.7 GPA wasn't good enough for his dream school, Iowa. His heart momentarily stopped, and he came shockingly close to death. The other way around makes no sense. 7; past master of the Alexandria Washington Lodge No. Later during World War II, she served with the Coast Guard in Charleston, S.C. She moved to Silver Spring in 1956 and continued with the Scouts here as a troop leader trainer, a troop leader and as a member of the board of directors of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital in the early 1980s. He attended the University of Tampa and played for their football team. One local remembered him pushing aside the town's mayor so he could sign an autograph for a child. Senior year accolades starting piling up, and NFL scouts started to take notice of this rising star. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_3',131,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-box-4','ezslot_4',131,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-4-0_1');.box-4-multi-131{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. and as recognizable as Indiana Jones. Matuszak was selected to the All-American Team 1972. Boucher said it may be 10 days before those results are available. 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. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? During his days with the Raiders, the team mostly turned a blind eye to John Matuszak's antics. In addition to his contract with 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. Known by the nickname The Tooz, the 68, 280 pound athlete was initially a hot prospect and was the first overall draft pick of the year in 1973. So even then, The Tooz had a reputation for drink and debauchery, though it would only get worse as the years passed. After seeing Steve Reeves play the title role in 1958'sHercules, he asked his parents for weights to bulk up his skinny frame. He was 38 years old. He played as the defensive end for various NFL teams. Propoxyphene is considered a "mild narcotic" and is less addictive than similar drugs, probably prescribed to Matuszak in light of his past abuses. Still, he was happy to be free of the painkillers, and being black and blue on Mondays. He always played well, though, so he managed to get away with all the hijinks. John Daniel Matuszak was once a scrawny, awkward kid from the Midwest. In Matuszak's last college football game, Tampa defeated Kent State 21-18 in the Tangerine Bowl. In the world of professional sports, you can get away with a lot once you've proven yourself. American Football (American) Player John Matuszak was born John Daniel Matuszak on 25th October, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and passed away on 17th Jun 1989 Burbank, California aged 38. His next role was in 1981's Caveman, opposite Ringo Starr, which no critic"confused [with]Gone With The Wind." His biography, Cruisin' with the Tooz, written with Steve Delsohn, was published in 1987. At 6'8 and nearly 300 pounds, football star-turned-actor John "The Tooz" Matuszak was beefy enough to portray Mama Fratelli's grotesquely . His biography, Cruisin' with the Tooz, written with Steve Delsohn, was published in 1987. Matuszak was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and played most of his career with the Oakland Raiders until he retired after winning his second Super Bowl in 1981. So, how much is John Matuszak worth at the age of 39 years old? The two teams sued each other, but in the end, Matuszak got his wish. If you know too much about a guy, you tend to prejudge him, to hold his past against him. Matuszak, a former all-pro defensive end noted for his aggression on the field, his flamboyance off it and his nickname, the Tooz, named his mother, Audrey Matuszak of Oak Creek, Wis., as his representative in the will formally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Kent State's standouts included future Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert and Gary Pinkel, who coached Missouri from 2001-15.Another Golden Flashes senior, future six-time national championship coach Nick Saban, suffered a season-ending injury in October. Matuszak was born in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The rest of his estate, $230,000 in personal property, $217,000 in real property and $10,000 in income from that property, was left to his mother and his sisters, Karen and Dawn Matuszak. That's right: As Cohen describes it, the "shock and horror" on Chunk's face in that moment is real. Matuszak acted professionally in the 1980s, making appearances in feature films and on television, often portraying football players or gentle giants. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'biographyhost_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',163,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-medrectangle-3-0'); John Matuszak wasbest known for appearingon numerous 1980s TV series likeTrapper John M.D. Matuszak was the only one of the first six selections of the 1973 draft to never earn first team All-Pro honors. I dont ever want to go back, he added. In the midst of all of this, it's worth remembering that John Matuszak had a big heart. On a particularly rowdy night, he was arrested for driving drunk and firing a gun at street signs. Barbara Bach & John Matuszak - Caveman (1981). His aggressive play and tough attitude embodied the spirit of the Oakland Raiders in the years they were called the Evil Empire and helped win the team Super Bowl victories in the 1976 and 1980 seasons. . Matuszak was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Audrey and Marvin Matuszak. and more from FamousFix.com, Heart failure (due to an accidental overdose of the prescription drug Darvocet), Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, Cudahy, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA. (His draft status didn't do anything for Tampa's football program. EARLE W. GRIFFITH Air Cargo Accountant Earle W. Griffith, 72, an official with Alexandria Masonic groups who was a retired accountant, died June 14 at Mount Vernon Hospital in Alexandria after a stroke. You know, the ole "I only meant to give him a black eye, not break his whole nose" excuse. Matuszak was suspended for the rest of the season and thrown out of his fraternity. John Daniel Matuszak (October 25, 1950 - June 17, 1989) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) who later became an actor. In his autobiography, he stated that he used drugs and abused alcohol while playing professional football.