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John Daniel "Tooz" Matuszak (October 25, 1950 – June 17, 1989) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League who later became an actor. He was the first draft pick of 1973 and played most of his career with the Oakland Raiders until he retired after winning his second Super Bowl in 1981. Matuszak participated in the 1978 World's Strongest Man competition, where he placed ninth. As an actor, he played the deformed Sloth in the 1985 movie The Goonies and Tonda in Caveman. His biography, Cruisin' with the Tooz, written with Steve Delsohn was published in 1987.
Matuszak became a fairly successful actor in the 1980s, making appearances in movies and on television, often portraying football players or gentle giants. His first major role was in the 1979 movie North Dallas Forty as a football player. He appeared in the movies Caveman, The Ice Pirates, One Man Force, and One Crazy Summer but is frequently remembered as deformed captive Sloth in The Goonies, the make-up for which took five hours to apply. Matuszak's character Sloth wears an Oakland Raiders shirt in some scenes. He had numerous guest appearances in popular TV shows such as Perfect Strangers, M*A*S*H, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hunter, Silver Spoons, The A-Team, 1st & Ten, Miami Vice and Cheers.
John Matuszak died on June 17, 1989 at the age of 38, as a result of a prescription drug overdose, according to the findings of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. A report listed the cause of death as acute propoxyphene intoxication. Propoxyphene is the generic name of the narcotic ingredient in the prescription pain medicines Darvon and Darvocet. (The risk of suicide associated with overdoses of this weak narcotic long ago led to its being outlawed in Canada.) The report said that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, and bronchopneumonia had been contributing factors in the death. Dambacher said Matuszak had been experiencing back pain, a problem that had caused his retirement from football after the 1981 season
We offer an Oakland Raiders payroll check from 12/18/1977 in payment of $1847.77 signed on the front by Stephen Ballard and on the back by John Matuszak. Super RARE!
Item: 5066
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