And the winner is…John Matuzak in North Dallas Forty
God I miss the Tooz. My all time favorite Oakland Raider. He died way too soon – at age 38.
North Dallas Forty was written by Peter Gent, who died last month. He played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys from 1964 to 1968. The book is a semi-fictional account of his days as a Cowboy.
Best line ever when it comes to explaining the the difference between players and owners.
IT’S JUST WHAT I MEAN YOU BASTARD, EVER TIME I CALL IT A GAME – YOU CALL IT A BUSINESS, AND EVERY TIME I CALL IT A BUSINESS YOU CALL IT A GAME.
+ Sources:
• North Dallas Forty (1979) :: IMDb
• John Matuzak :: Wikipedia
• Gene Upshaw and Jim Plunkett remember John Matuszak :: NFL Video
• North Dallas Forty 30th Anniversary Edition :: By Peter Gent
• Sports Illustrated article on the ‘top five’ NFL Bad Boys