.jpg) Siragusa in 2006 | |||||||||||
| No. 98 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1967-05-14)May 14, 1967 Kenilworth, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | June 22, 2022(2022-06-22) (aged 55) Ortley Beach, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 340 lb (154 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Brearley(Kenilworth, New Jersey) | ||||||||||
| College | Pittsburgh (1985–1989) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1990: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Anthony Siragusa (May 14, 1967 – June 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Goose", was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle for 12 seasons with theIndianapolis Colts and theBaltimore Ravens in theNational Football League (NFL). After his football career, he worked as a sideline analyst for NFL games broadcast on theFox Network from 2003 to 2015. He also hosted various shows on television, such as the home renovation programMan Caves on theDIY Network.
Siragusa attendedDavid Brearley High School inKenilworth, New Jersey.[1] In high school, he playedfootball and was also a member of thewrestling team.[2] As a wrestler, he won aNew Jersey state championship, with a 97–1 career record.[3] In football, he played defensive line, punted, and place kicked. He had a 39-yard punting average and made 15 of 18 extra point attempts.[4]
Siragusa attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh and playedcollege football for thePittsburgh Panthers. He was a starting defensive tackle in his sophomore and junior seasons (1986 and 1987) under head coachMike Gottfried.[5][6][7]
During a practice in April 1988, Siragusa tore his leftanterior cruciate ligament, and underwent surgery that forced him to sit out the entire 1988 season.[8] Before his injury, Siragusa was considered a potential first-round draft pick, but afterwards, he was seen as such a risk that he went undrafted in the1990 NFL draft.[9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) | 286 lb (130 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 5.13 s | 1.83 s | 2.98 s | 4.45 s | 26.5 in (0.67 m) | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) | 25 reps | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[10] | ||||||||||||
Siragusa was anundrafted free agent in 1990 and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a defensive tackle.[11] He playednose tackle[12] to draw the double teams when theIndianapolis Colts were in a3–4 defense or4–3 defense. As a rookie, he appeared in 13 games and started 6 games and recorded 1 sack, 36 total tackles, and 1fumble recovery.[13] In the 1991 season, he started in 6 of his 13 game appearances and recorded 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 46 combined tackles.[14] In the 1992 season, he appeared in all 16 games, starting in 12, and recorded 3 sacks and 65 combined tackles.[15] In the 1993 season, he appeared in and started 14 games and recorded 1.5 sacks and 76 combined tackles.[16] In the 1994 season, he appeared in and started all 16 games and recorded 5 sacks, 88 combined tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.[17] In the 1995 season, he appeared in and started 14 games and recorded 2 sacks, 49 total tackles, and 1 forced fumble.[18]
Siragusa was a key part of the Colts team that narrowly lost the1995 AFC Championship Game; after the season, he was unhappy that Colts coachTed Marchibroda was given a no-raise, no-extension contract offer that he rejected before leaving the team.[19] Siragusa was open about his dislike for new coachLindy Infante and the team's Vice President of Football OperationsBill Tobin.[20][21] In the 1996 season, he appeared in and started 10 games and recorded 2 sacks, 45 combined tackles, and 1 fumble recovery.[22]
In 1997, Siragusa signed with the Baltimore Ravens, who were being coached by his former coach Ted Marchibroda (which continued until he was fired forBrian Billick in 1999).[23] In the 1997 season, he appeared in 14 games, started 13, and recorded one fumble recovery and 27 total tackles.[24] In the 1998 season, he appeared in and started 15 games, and recorded one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 41 total tackles.[25] In the 1999 season, he appeared in and started 14 games, and recorded two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 3.5 sacks, and 36 total tackles.[26] He was a part of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed the fewest total points in NFL history for a 16-game season.[27] In the 2000 season, he appeared in and started 15 games, and recorded one fumble recovery and 27 total tackles.[28] Siragusa was fined $10,000 for an illegal hit on Oakland Raiders quarterbackRich Gannon in the 2000 AFC title game, injuring Gannon's shoulder.[29] He helped lead the Ravens to their firstSuper Bowl in franchise history inSuper Bowl XXXV where they beat theNew York Giants, 34–7.[30] Siragusa retired following the 2001 season, where he had two sacks and 28 total tackles.[31][32] He 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.[33]
Siragusa was a sideline reporter and analyst during NFL games onFox until his firing following the 2015 NFL season.[34] Siragusa usually appeared withKenny Albert (before Albert,Dick Stockton andCurt Menefee) andDaryl Johnston. In 2015, he was paired withThom Brennaman andCharles Davis. He appeared as Soprano family associateFrankie Cortese in the television seriesThe Sopranos.[35]
He partnered up with Michael Romanelli and opened a restaurant chain called Tiff's.[36] The original name of the franchise was Tiffany's, but after a lawsuit byTiffany & Co., the luxury jeweler, the name was shortened.[37] He hostedMan Caves on theDIY Network.[38] He also hosted the documentary programMega Machines onThe Learning Channel.[39]
Siragusa also played a Russian mobster in the 2002 movie25th Hour.[40]
Out of a concern for men withprostate cancer, in 2013 Siragusa began appearing in an ad campaign forDepend for Men, 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."[41]
Siragusa made a few appearances at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. He was one of several honorary captains during the renewal of thePenn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry in 2016, soon after ending his stint with Fox.[42]
On June 22, 2022, Siragusa died in his sleep at his home in theOrtley Beach ofToms River, New Jersey, at the age of 55.[43][44]
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