Defensive Linemen in Movies: John Matuszak

In North Dallas Forty Raider defensive end John Matuszak plays O.W. Shaddock, the left guard for the North Dallas Bulls. It is not the typical "heavy" role that often seems to go with football players in movies. 

Here are a couple of clips from the film. The language is definitely NSFW:

Matuszak's other popular role was as "Sloth" in The Goonies:

Right after North Dallas Forty Tooz starred as "Tonda" in Caveman with Catherine Bach and Ringo Starr.

Command 5 was to be a series. Matuszak played "Nick Kowalski". According to IMDB Command 5 is based on this concept: "Captain Blair Morgan is a military intelligence man, who wants to see some action, and if the military can't provide with some, he is recruited by a group that wants to form a crime-fighting unit that they want to send into areas that are ill-equipped or manned to handle certain criminals. He selects Jack Coburn, Nick Kowalski, J.D. Smith, and Chris Winslow, cops who are deemed loose cannons by their respective departments. But whose unorthodox behavior and methods, Morgan feels is necessary to combat the types of criminals that they are going to go up against."

   

In his acting career he also tangled with fellow defensive end Fred Dryer in Hunter:

He played another football player in "The A-Team" with Joe Namath, Jim Brown, Alan Autry and Mr. T.

In the HBO series 1st & Ten: The Championship Matuszak played the aptly named "John Manzak" where he go to choke "T.D. Parker". Many wish this was John Matuszak and not John Manzak and instead of T.D. Parker it was O.J. Simpson.

For Matuszak's complete filmography go to IMDB