Tony Siragusa, a former defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts, passed away tragically, and the NFL community is still in grief. On June 22, the 55-year-old suddenly passed away. There were no specifics at the time regarding the defensive tackle’s passing. Siragusa was declared dead at the scene at a residence in Toms River, New Jersey.
How Did Tony Siragusa Die?
On June 22, 2022, Siragusa passed away at his house in Ortley Beach, New Jersey, from what appears to have been a heart attack while he was sleeping. He had reached the age of 55.
Heartbreaking Tony Siragusa story resurfaces in the wake of his death https://t.co/SmuvzxUsYm pic.twitter.com/uCmx40qsSD
— New York Post (@nypost) June 22, 2022
Tony Siragusa Biography
Anthony Siragusa, sometimes known as “the Goose,” was an American professional football player who played defensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons (May 14, 1967 – June 22, 2022).
From 2003 until 2015, following his football career, he worked as a sideline analyst for NFL games shown on the Fox Network. He has served as the host of a number of television programs, including the DIY Network’s Man Caves, which focused on home improvement.
In Kenilworth, New Jersey, Siragusa attended David Brearley High School. He was on the wrestling team and played football in high school. He has a 97-1 career record and was the state wrestling champion of New Jersey. He punted and place-kicked while playing the defensive line in football. He averaged 39 yards per punt and converted 15 of 18 extra-point attempts.
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Tony Siragusa Career
Siragusa played collegiate football for the Pittsburgh Panthers while attending the University of Pittsburgh. In his second and third seasons (1986 and 1987), under head coach Mike Gottfried, he started as a defensive tackle.
Siragusa tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during a practice in April 1988, necessitating surgery that made him miss the whole 1988 campaign. Siragusa was viewed as a first-round draft prospect before suffering an injury, but later, his risk factor increased to the point where he was passed over in the 1990 NFL draft.
The Indianapolis Colts signed Siragusa, an undrafted free agent, as a defensive tackle in 1990. In a 3-4 or 4-3 defense for the Indianapolis Colts, he played nose tackle to draw double teams. He played in 13 games as a rookie, starting 6, and had 1 sack, 36 total tackles, and 1 fumble recovery.
He played in 13 games in 1991, starting 6 of them. He had 46 total tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery. He started 12 of the 16 games he played in during the 1992 season, and he finished with 65 total tackles and 3 sacks.
He played in and started 14 games in 1993, compiling 1.5 sacks and 76 total tackles. He played in and started all 16 games of the 1994 season, compiling 5 sacks, 88 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He played in and started 14 games in 1995, finishing with 2 sacks, 49 total tackles, and 1 forced fumble.
Siragusa was an important member of the Colts team that narrowly lost the 1995 AFC Championship Game. After the season, he was dissatisfied with the contract offer Ted Marchibroda received from the Colts organization, which Marchibroda turned down before departing.
Siragusa was candid about his distaste for Bill Tobin, the team’s vice president of football operations, and new coach Lindy Infante. He played in and started 10 games in the 1996 season, compiling 2 sacks, 45 total tackles, and 1 fumble recovery.
Post-playing Career
Up to his termination during the 2015 NFL season, Siragusa worked as a sideline reporter and analyst for Fox during NFL games. Prior to Kenny Albert, Dick Stockton, and Curt Menefee, Siragusa frequently performed with Daryl Johnston.
He collaborated with Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis in 2015. In the television series The Sopranos, he played Frankie Cortese, a member of the Soprano family. Together with Michael Romanelli, he founded the Tiff’s restaurant business.
The franchise’s original name was Tiffany’s, but it was changed to Tiffany’s after Tiffany & Co., a high-end jeweler, filed a lawsuit. On the DIY network, he was the Man Caves host. He also served as the host of the The Learning Channel documentary series Mega Machines.
In the 2002 film 25th Hour, Siragusa also portrayed a Russian mobster. In 2013, Siragusa started taking part in an advertisement campaign for Depend for Men out of concern for men with prostate cancer, saying, “I decided to go and shoot the commercial and bring a little bit of lightness to [the problem] where guys can talk about it and after I did the commercial you wouldn’t believe the response.”
Siragusa made a few appearances at the University of Pittsburgh, his alma school. In 2016, shortly after his employment with Fox came to an end, he served as one of several honorary captains during the rekindling of the Penn State-Pittsburgh football rivalry.