Slightly greater than 13 years in the past, I ventured over to Tony Siragusa’s New Jersey house and requested him what he recalled about his father dying from a coronary heart assault at age 48.
“In the midst of the evening, my mom simply began screaming, so me and my brother went over and began giving him CPR, tried to maintain him alive somewhat bit,” he stated.
Then I requested him if that was why he has stated, “I stay every single day prefer it’s my final?”
And Tony Siragusa instructed me: “I believe that folks take it with no consideration. … ‘I’m gonna do that tomorrow.’ Tomorrow may not be right here, brother.”
Sadly, the soccer world discovered on Wednesday that tomorrow is not going to be right here for Tony Siragusa.
The larger-than-life former Colt and Raven and irreverent Fox sideline reporter and analyst who answered to “Goose,” handed away out of the blue at his house at age 55. The reason for demise was not instantly identified. He's survived by his spouse Kathy and three kids.
Colts proprietor Jim Irsay and Ravens house owners Steve and Renee Bisciotti expressed heartbreak in respective statements.
“I’m heartbroken, as is all of Colts Nation,” Irsay stated.
“This can be a tremendously unhappy day for the Baltimore Ravens,” Bisciotti stated.
Siragusa was an undrafted and unfiltered nostril sort out out of the College of Pittsburgh, an immovable 6-foot-3, 350-pound mountain of wiseass defiance who allowed Ravens center linebacker Ray Lewis to roam freely behind him.
In Baltimore, they revered their free-spirited Goose the way in which they revered the late Corridor of Fame Colts defensive sort out Artwork Donovan. They have been two peas in a pod. Siragusa did it his method. Each single day.
“My talents have been neglected for a very long time, however persons are beginning to see that I’m a chunk of the puzzle,” Siragusa instructed Sports activities Illustrated as soon as. “After I was in school, individuals instructed me, ‘Positive, you possibly can cease the run, however anybody can do this. If you wish to earn cash within the NFL, you’ve acquired to hurry the passer.’ That’s bull—-. It’s like all of the individuals who inform you you’ve acquired to be in computer systems to earn cash. Yeah? You already know what — you continue to want a f—— plumber to repair your bathroom, and the scarcer they're, the more cash they’ll make. ‘Trigger what are you gonna do, name a f—— pc man to repair your f—— crapper?”
He grew up 20 miles from Giants Stadium and on Jan. 28, 2001, his historic Ravens protection led a 34-7 rout of the Giants in Tremendous Bowl XXXV.
“Goose was fairly a personality, however he was certainly one of our leaders on the 2000 Tremendous Bowl workforce,” former Ravens normal supervisor Ozzie Newsome stated in an announcement. “He was most likely among the best run-stoppers to play for our protection over time. My coronary heart breaks for Kathy, Samantha, Anthony Jr. and Ava. They're in my prayers.”
Brian Billick was the Ravens’ head coach in Tremendous Bowl XXXV. “There was nobody like Goose,” Billick stated in an announcement, “a warrior on the sphere and a workforce unifier with a giving, beneficiant coronary heart who helped teammates and the neighborhood greater than most individuals know. We'd not have received the Tremendous Bowl with out him. That is such gorgeous, unhappy information, and our hearts exit to Kathy and the Siragusa household.”
Siragusa was a pure in a handful of episodes of “The Sopranos,” taking part in Frankie Cortese, bodyguard and driver for Tony Soprano, and due to this fact he match something however the cookie-cutter mildew of NFL sideline reporters and analysts.
NFL on CBS analyst and NFL Community’s Charles Davis labored one season with Siragusa. “In a variety of methods, he saved my life,” Davis instructed The Publish. Davis stated Siragusa detected an issue with Davis, out of breath one evening strolling up a hill in Seattle, and implored him to have a physician run particular checks when he returned house.
“Don’t fear about it,” Siragusa stated, “my cousin’s a heart specialist.” And positive sufficient, Davis wanted emergency surgical procedure for blood clots that had flooded his chest.
“He was such a giant character to associate with his stature,” Davis stated, “that there’s by no means a time you'd suppose that he wouldn’t be round.”
Kenny Albert labored with Goose and Moose Johnston for eight years on Fox.
“He was simply the lifetime of the celebration wherever we went,” Albert instructed The Publish, “whether or not it was strolling via an airport, restaurant, individuals at all times gravitated to him, and he beloved it. He would by no means flip down an image, an autograph. He most likely match 200 years of life into his 55 years.
“In all probability essentially the most wonderful factor that I’ve ever witnessed was Tony getting right into a NASCAR automobile: We did what was referred to as the Richard Petty Expertise down in Charlotte. He really drove the racecar, 150 miles an hour, three or 4 laps, however there have been no doorways, you needed to get in via the window. Tony getting in toes first into the driving force’s seat — he needed to take off the helmet, his head wouldn’t match via the window with the helmet on.”
Manufacturing conferences have been entertaining for everybody. “He introduced issues out of those guys that I had by no means seen earlier than,” Albert stated. “Brett Favre would sit there for an hour. … Brett wouldn’t wish to depart, he and Goose have been having such a great time.”
In a 2012 interview with Howard Stern, Siragusa talked about that coronary heart illness ran in his household.
“If I die tomorrow,” he stated, “I instructed my spouse, ‘Simply put a smile on my face. Put somewhat [Frank] Sinatra on.’ ”
As you wished Goose:
And now the top is right here
And so I face that last curtain
My pal I’ll make it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m sure
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled every freeway
And extra, far more
I did it, I did it my method.
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