What former Ravens defensive lineman Lional “Jellyroll” Dalton remembers most about his time with Tony Siragusa was when he had to bring beer and $1,000 worth of ribs to Siragusa’s hotel room and the time Siragusa arrived to practice in a helicopter.
Fox Sports broadcaster Kenny Albert looks back on when Siragusa essentially invented the role of sideline analyst, a position now prevalent in many football broadcasts, because he hated the title of sideline reporter.
Former Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett remembers persuading the coaches and front office to bring Siragusa to Baltimore following the 1996 season. (He knew Siragusa for years before they ever teamed up in Baltimore dating back to when they both took recruiting visits to Pitt as high schoolers.) Burnett doesn’t take full credit for bringing Siragusa to Baltimore but knows his “cent and a half” meant something.
“I was looking for something that I wanted, which was desire and a winning attitude,” Burnett told Stan “The Fan” Charles and Gary Stein on Facebook Live July 7. “As big as this guy was, he ran sideline to sideline, kept his feet. … He just had that thing that I had, which was, ‘All I want to do is win.'”
Kelly Gregg, teammates with Siragusa in Baltimore during his rookie season in 2001, remembers when Siragusa told him he needed to put on weight to last as a defensive lineman in one of the first conversations the two had together.
“Just being around him made you a better player,” Gregg said on Glenn Clark Radio June 24. “He was one of those guys that made everything fun. Goose always had a smile when we were working.”
Siragusa, who died in late June at the age of 55, will be most known for the positivity he constantly brought to any environment. Whether it was on the field, in team hotels, the broadcast booth or interacting with fans around Baltimore, those who knew the former menacing defensive tackle say his energy was what always stood out most.
“Every meal, every walk through the airport, he loved being around people,” Albert said on Glenn Clark Radio June 23. “He never said no to an autograph request, photo request. He would play practical jokes with strangers on airplanes. He was always on. He probably fit 200 years of life into 55 years.”
Maybe the only thing he loved more than football and having a good time was his family. Siragusa is survived by three children — his son Anthony, who played football at Villanova, and his daughters Ava and Samantha. He and his wife, Kathy, were married for 27 years.
“It was one of his best days of his life when he was at his son’s graduation last month,” Albert said. “We actually texted on Father’s Day, I texted him a happy Father’s Day and he wrote right back to me.”
“He always had his family with him,” Dalton said on Glenn Clark Radio June 23. “He was definitely a family man.”
Siragusa defined an era of Ravens football when the franchise was still in its infancy. Fresh off a move from Cleveland, there were doubts about whether the Ravens could fill the void the Colts left when they moved a decade prior.
Siragusa joined the team in 1997, one year after its inaugural season, and stayed through 2001. He made a point of helping the Ravens connect to Baltimore and giving the team an on-field identity.
“He would always talk about how much he loved his time in Baltimore,” Albert said.
“He would stop for everybody, it was just bigger than life,” Gregg said. “We always had a lot of fun, and I think the people in the city really grew for that. Football is supposed to be more fun, and there’s nobody that had more fun. I can still see him making a tackle for loss and see him doing them wings.”
Burnett had made the transition from Cleveland to Baltimore. His friend Siragusa joined a locker room the following year that needed some tension eased.
“He kept things loose,” Burnett said. “It is a tough business, it really is. High stress, physically and mentally. We were funny, we all had our own senses of humor. We all know what Tony was as a human.”
One story Gregg will never forget in his short time playing with Siragusa was during a game in 2001. It was a goal line situation, which called for four defensive linemen. Gregg ran onto the field and joined Siragusa and the others with their hands in the grass to stop a score.
“We know where they’re running!” Gregg recalled Siragusa shouting.
“Would you please be quiet, they’re going to hear you,” Gregg replied.
Gregg still got prepared as if the runner would barrel in his direction. But it was a play-action pass that resulted in a score. In a rarity, Siragusa’s hours spent studying film failed him. And yet, it was something the defensive line looks back on and laughs about.
“Even in the game we had so much fun,” Gregg said. “That’s the way you should play the game and live life.”
For more from Burnett, watch the full interview here.
For more from Gregg, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Albert, listen the full interview here:
For more from Dalton, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Shawn Hubbard/Baltimore Ravens