Matuszak played well, although sparingly, and proved to be an adept blocker for a Tigers team that mostly ran the ball. Happy to be wanted by a large program, Matuszak headed to Missouri where Devine planned to use him as a tight end. “My grades picked up so much that a lot of schools and a lot of coaches were after me, especially Dan Devine of Missouri, And that’s where I went,” continued Matuszak. He played well for the team and his grades started to improve.Ĭollege coaches noticed and began to inquire about his services. From Iowa.he transferred to the University of Missouri. John Matuszak graduated from Oak Creek with a GPA undesireable for bigger college scholarships…and decided to attend Fort Dodge Junior College his freshman year to build up his grade average while playing ball. Matuszak began his quest to play collegiately at Fort Dodge. Since he wanted to continue playing football, Matuszak chose the Juco route for his next step. Both Wisconsin and Iowa were interested in me as a football player and suggested that I go to Fort Dodge Junior College in Iowa.” Matuszak said in 1973. “Studies just didn’t interest me in high school,” he said, “and my grades weren’t good enough to qualify me for college. Of course, that had more to do with the fact that Matuszak didn’t apply himself in the classroom like he did in sports. Matuszak also played on the Oak Creek football team as a defensive lineman.Īlthough he played fairly well on the gridiron, Matuszak did not have many colleges beating down his door as he approached graduation. The ridicule only motivated young John to get bigger and stronger as he got older.Įventually, he became a Wisconsin state champion at Oak Creek High School in the shot put with a throw of over 58 feet. When Matuszak was in elementary school, his parents moved the family to Oak Creek, a suburb south of Milwaukee.Īt Matuszak’s new school, his classmates teased him because he was tall, gangly, and thin. The Matuszak family experienced severe hardship when John’s two brothers died of cystic fibrosis when they were young and his sister had the disease as well. John Daniel Matuszak was born on Octoin Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Then, at the age of 38, Matuszak passed away from an accidental drug overdose. He would also appear in several television shows and movies including one role that remains memorable decades later.Ģx Superbowl winner & one of the toughest Raiders of all time John Matuszak was Sloth in the Goonies. Teased for his awkward appearance in grade school, Matuszak transformed himself into a larger than life athlete who would win two Super Bowls.
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