Tony Siragusa, one of the
NFL's biggest personalities, has died at 55. Siragusa played 12 seasons in the NFL with the
Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, served as a sideline analyst with
Fox, and hosted Man Caves,
Tony Siragusa dead at 55
Anthony (Tony) Siragusa Sr., affectionately known as "Goose," who played defensive tackle in the NFL for twelve seasons with both the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, died on Wednesday at the age of 55.
One of the biggest and most colorful personalities in the game, after leaving football he moved to a media career, working for Fox as an NFL sideline analyst from 2003 to 2015. He also hosted the home renovation program Man Caves on the DIY Network, which ran from 2007 to 2015.
Siragusa also played the character Frankie Cortese in the HBO series The Sopranos, Fox reported. He married wife Kathy in 1995, and they had three children.
The immediate cause of Siragusa's death was not known.
Comments around the league
"There was no one like Goose – a warrior on the field and a team unifier with a giving, generous heart who helped teammates and the community more than most people know," said former Ravens coach Brian Billick, ESPN reported. "We would not have won the Super Bowl without him. This is such stunning, sad news, and our hearts go out to Kathy and the Siragusa family."
"Heart broken as is all of Colts Nation," Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted, adding in a follow-up tweet: "The Goose squeezed 200 fun loving years into 55!! He was one of the most physically strongest players I have ever seen in 50 years."
Siragusa's football career
Siragusa attended David Brearley High School in Kenilworth, New Jersey, where he played football as a defensive lineman, punter, and kicker. He also wrestled and was a New Jersey state wrestling champion with a 97–1 career record.
In college, he was a starting defensive tackle in his sophomore and junior seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. In his senior year, he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament, underwent surgery, and was forced to sit out the season. Originally considered a potential first-round draft pick at 6' 2.75" and 286 pounds in the 1990 NFL draft, the injury labeled him a risk and he went undrafted.
Nonetheless, Siragusa was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts in 1990 as a defensive tackle, after selling himself as a backup long snapper, Yahoo! Sports reported. What happened next is the stuff of NFL legend. Siragusa drank away his entire $1000 signing bonus. From that time forward, Tony became known for his irreverent sense of humor and memorable pranks.
Siragusa played his first seven seasons for the Baltimore Colts. But after being a key part of the team that narrowly lost the 1995 AFC Championship Game, non-offered a raise, and given a no-extension contract offer – he left the team the next year.
In 1997, Siragusa joined the Baltimore Ravens, and was part of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed the fewest total points in NFL history for a 16-game season. In 2000, he helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl appearance. In Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens defeated the New York Giants, 34–7. He played one more season in 2001, then retired.
Siragusa finished his career with 562 tackles (416 solo), 22 sacks, five forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries for 12 yards, and 28 pass deflections in 170 career games