larry csonka obituary

He wasnt afraid to let it be known that he was rooting for the success of everyone involved, and thats why he never made any enemies. Despite knowing what I like and dont in wrestling, I still read Larrys articles and trusted his judgment because he was a reliable, hard worker. Tweets. If you want to get a sense of just how massive Larrys reach was with his writing, one look at the remembrances and condolences says it all. But he, in fact, was that solid.. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! And his depth of knowledge and love for pro wrestling was immeasurable. Larry Csonka Death - Obituary | Dead - Larry Csonka Passed Away I chuckled when we had columns up at the same time when Bruno Sammartino passed away. Writing about professional wrestling means writing about a surprisingly wide variety of topics. Larry was a consummate professional in the industry and one of the most prolific, hell, he may be THE most prolific reviewer in wrestling history. But, at his core, he was a standup guy in a world where the supply of standup guys seems to be diminishing every day. Considering just how prolific the guy was, its remarkable how his work so consistently shone with enthusiasm, and so rarely with vitriol. Theres going to be a huge, Larry-sized hole in 411mania that will never be filled. Jim Kiick, a running back and important member of the Miami Dolphins Super Bowl teams of the 1970s, passed away June 20 at the age 73. Later, in 1973, became was voted to be the Super Athlete of the Year by Professional Football Writers Association. In an effort to assuage a 5-year-old Csonka's fears about encountering the boogeyman while venturing into the dark en route to the family's outhouse, MumMum informed the little boy of a startling secret he was the boogeyman. It made me feel a better mood when he did. Published: Nov. 08, 2022, 5:30 a.m. Larry Csonka has written "Head On: A Memoir," a fascinating look at his life - from Northeast Ohio roots to the gridirons of Syracuse and Miami and to his . Hi everyone out there in 411, Im Stephen Randle, and if you dont remember who I am, Im not surprised, Id like to say I still remember when Larry started at 411, but damn it, it was a long time ago for both of us. He did all of that on top of caring for his family, as you could tell he very much did. People have a tendency to only say positive things about folks who recently passed away, so I want to stress that this is 100% accurate and not something Im just saying because of his tragic death: everyone loved Larry. Both deaths came days before the 21st anniversary of Owen Hart's tragic death during WWE's Over The Edge event. I hope they do, too. An obituary for Larry Csonka's mother . STEPHEN RANDLE: He was a very down to earth, regular guy. I just reacted as it went along, from Mr. Saltis confining me to quarters to having to read books and write reports to deciding to go to Alaska.. After taking retirement from Football, he became a motivational speaker. But, Ill let that be a lesson, just like Larrys life work may well be a lesson to follow our passions. Theres no need for me to tell you something that you dont already know. The second that a televised wrestling show, pay-per-view, or network special went off the air, chances are you could go to 411Mania and read Larrys review right away. As much as this hurts us all, I cant imagine what youre going through and all my best thoughts and hopes go your way. I dont do this to mock other peoples professions, I do it because Id like to lift up those that are producing greatness. Rest in peace, Larry. I cant even watch Children of the Corn anymore without thinking of him because we always joked about the use of OUTLANDER! The news of his passing is devastating. Its hard to really capture what he has meant to not just this site, but to the online wrestling community and the entire wrestling industry. I talked with Larry quite a bit on Twitter, in direct messages, etc. But Larry would do it all and keep on going onto the next one. MATHEW SFORCINA: He guided me during my early days of 411 in the MMA section, gave me various opportunities on the site, and always encouraged me. I had messaged him some jokes to keep his spirits up after one of those cryptic tweets you sometimes do when youre in a room alone with your thoughts. May 18, 2020, almost twenty-one years to the day after I learned what happened to Owen Hart. Dense, tangled webs of promotions, characters and feuds with decades of context to unravel. I am 411. I stopped writing regularly for 411mania a year after my son was born, out of a sense that I needed to better focus my time and mental energy on my family, and what other time I had to working to provide for my wife and child. How tall is Larry Csonka? In 1968, Larry Csonka started his professional journey with the Miami Dolphins. The third column I ever wrote for 411 was about Eddie Guerreros death. I will dearly miss him, both as a writer and as a person, and our community is going to be way worse off without him. When I left 411 in early 2006, I kept in touch with Larry, usually through email or AIM, just to talk shop every so often. Thank you Larry. Larrys writing style was unique. I was a big, farm kid, and I knew what I was doing, Csonka said. The wrestling site Id most often gotten news and reviews from had stopped posting with any regularity and that friend turned me on to 411mania, where I discovered updates posted throughout the day and columns I could sink my teeth into. His coverage of pay-per-views was always a must read, both during a show and afterwards. Ive always said that its important to remember where you came from, and today is sure as hell a day where that rings true loud and clear. Throughout it all, he was consistently one of the coolest, most positive guys Ive ever known and his ability to convey his love of wrestling was nothing short of uncanny. Rest easy, well take it from here., ARMANDO RODRIGUEZ: He was 73. I guess what you might say is we were kind of out back and didn't leave the farm much until I was probably 10, 11 years old and started getting out on a bicycle and delivering papers and doing different things., Akron Beacon Journal. He went through so much in the time I knew him, yet he always came back and blew all of our work out of the water. He LOVED 411mania, doing everything he could to increase its profile and quality. After hearing about his passing I went back and read some of our emails and messages and smile at the interactions. Larry Csonka, a classic 6-3, 235-pound line-smashing fullback, provided the major rushing thrust in the Miami Dolphins' vaunted ball-control offense when the team was dominating the National Football League in the early 1970s.. A consensus All-American at Syracuse and the Dolphins' No.1 draft pick in 1968, Csonka contributed almost picture-perfect performances in Miami's three Super Bowl . He refused to live being remembered as Fullback Larry Csonka. What I do remember is the smile I had on my face as I read his thoughts on what happened whatever it was that had happened. The two clashed as coach and player with the Dolphins, but they grew to admire one another, too. One evening I was trying to have a conversation with him about some misery that had beset my life and he was taking ages to reply and I only noticed after an hour that it was because he was covering RAW live. His leadership created that level of loyalty and resulted in countless friendships and wonderful relationships. It is not easy being the workhorse-grinding out columns, reviews, lists, think pieces and op-eds. You folks that have been around us a while will get that one. When Larry had to step back from his editing duties at 411 last year, I was fortunate enough that he (and Ashish) had given me enough support and helped me grow as a writer and editor enough that I could step up. More than that though, Larry was always such a lovely guy to interact with, and a guy who brightened a timeline up with such clear love for his family. That doesnt compare though to the loss for his family of a father and husband. I lost touch with Larry for a long time after I leftan email back and forth here and there, but circumstances caused us to drift mostly out of each others visible universes. The IWC world is never going to be the same and I know I will be looking for your reviews out of habit for quite some time. His father, Joseph Csonka, and mother, Mildred Heath used to be farmers by profession. Show your support. It is very easy to feel ashamed of being a wrestling fan. My heart goes out to his wife and daughters, and to his family and friends during this time. When embedded photos and videos and tweets became the standard in online writing, he gave me the freedom to be stubborn and just post a wall of text. If I may digress, a personal note to Mrs. Csonka, should she be reading this: Several years ago, a colleague and mentor of mine passed away unexpectedly in his late 50s. We were both addicted to pro wrestling. He had a genuine love of professional wrestling, and he had an ability to find the positive in almost anything. He turned that encyclopedic knowledge into something else. L-R: Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka, and Mercury Morris in 1972. Larry Csonka weighed 237 lbs (107 kg) when playing. My nephew, Tony, served in the Army and nephew, Anthony, will retire . Due to that, he missed three games in 19869 and the other three in 1969. The fact that he was able to watch and cover so much wrestling, from the biggest shows imaginable to the smallest, is nothing short of incredible. I even went there today to read his Raw review, only for my heart to sink when I realised it wouldnt be there. My son, Paul, joined the Coast Guard and served part of his tenure in Alaska on Kodiak Island. He wasnt without snark, he wasnt without anger or hot takes but that was never the core of his character online nor his writing for 411. GEORGE SIRIOUS: He was a foundational part of 411 and it will never be the same without him. Larry had a great sense of humor, was a great guy to talk to and helped me get going on this crazy job. He was a Top 5 member of the wrestling community and an invaluable resource for two decades of professional wrestling. Hell always be at 411 in spirit, but not having him around just seems impossible. Peoples days were made better because of Larry. Career Stats Game Log Splits. Beyond that, Larry was infinitely patient with me as I was still figuring out how to be a writer on a stage as highly visible as 411. Kelly Harrass: In our little wrestling writing community, its hard to find someone as universally loved as Larry was. None of that mattered to Larry, whose love for wrestling and enthusiasm for 411 was an inspiration to the rest of us who were still doing this at what was, objectively, not a good time for the wrestling business in general. Thank you for letting us spend all that time with Larry. A fucking new quilt. I can talk about Larry the man. Genres Football Sports Nonfiction Biography. I was always honored he did that as his reviews of matches and shows were the standard to which I always tried to reach. I probably stumbled upon Larrys work long before I even knew who he was, but once I became aware of him and his work, I really grew to appreciate and admire him and his work immensely. For Larry, I am here. Not even a full two years after that, I tuned in to Monday Night Raw one evening in June, a ritual that I had since the very first episode aired in 1993. Implausible. Two people were fishing in a nearby pond just after 11:30 p.m. when they saw Csonkas 2005 Toyota Scion speeding on Old Daytona near Brunswick go by the first time, police said. More than I can probably remember. Thoughts go out to the family hes leaving behind. He just asked what I would be writing about next. College: Syracuse. In 1989, he was also honored with the College Football Hall of Fame. Do it. When I sat down to write about Larry Csonka I realized that there doesnt exist any words that I can say that will be unique when talking about him. Once Saltis had armed Csonka with knowledge, everything changed. After Carley Csonka finished driving in excess of 80 mph down Old Daytona Road in October in DeLand, police say she told her two passengers she wanted to go faster. I was amazed when, a couple of days later, I not only got a yes but it came from one of my favourite writers on my favourite site for news: Larry Csonka.I only knew of 411mania through playing EWR (Google it kids), and I came to read JD Dunns work. It takes a lot to stay positive and hold a team together in that kind of an environment, but Larry was such a great leader and team player that the state of the business was almost an afterthought to those of us who were here at the time. News Sports Entertainment Opinion Advertise Obituaries . On a personal level, I didnt interact with Larry as much as some of my fellow colleagues, but every time I did he was always cool, always helpful. See more. He was so proud of his kids and had so much love for his wife. LARRY CSONKA NFL HALL OF FAME CAREER LARRY CSONKA NFL CAREER HIGHLIGHTSLarry Csonka, a classic 6 foot 3, 235-pound line-smashing fullback, provided the major. Through the years, any time I had an issue with something happening on the site / with my columns, I knew I could always reach out to him and have a fair discussion. His reviews made me rewatch shows because he would mention something I failed to catch. His kind words meant an awful lot and they symbolised everything that Larry was, a kind and gentle soul who had time for everybody. As a wrestling reviewer he was unparalleled and I always aimed to write material that would be good enough for his standards. I worked with him every weekday morning for eight years. I was thrilled to hear he enjoyed my work. It's one of the reasons Csonka said he signed up for a second tour with the Dolphins in 1979 before retiring as a player the following year at age 33. The outpouring of emotion from the wrestling community over the last 24 hours, an easily divided and highly tribal place, shows how universally loved and respected the man was. We knew far more than we should have, and yet there will always be aspects we will never know. You will be missed. Csonka's wild spirit led him to Alaska in the mid-1990s with his life and business partner, Audrey Bradshaw. ROBERT WINFREE: He died in 2020 at the age of 90. I learned so much not just about the wrestling companies that seemingly everyone knows about, but about the companies and shows I didnt even know existed. Every damn week. Everybody has nothing but good things to say about Larry, and were seeing that now more than ever. I was always the kind of comedian when I did comedy that I wanted a certain kind of person to laugh, and I tend to think on twitter, Larry was my target and the likes he gave were validation. $359.00. He was there with advice, there with support and he helped legitimize this website in its very early days.

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