- Joe Andruzzi
Infobox NFLactive
currentteam=Free agent
currentnumber=--
currentpositionplain=Offensive tackle
birthdate=birth date and age|1975|8|23
birthplace=Staten Island, New York
heightft=6
heightin=3
weight=290
debutyear=1998
debutteam=Green Bay Packers
college=Southern Connecticut State
undraftedyear=1997
pastteams=
*Green Bay Packers (1997-2000)
*Scottish Claymores (1998)
*New England Patriots (2000-2004)
*Cleveland Browns (2005-2006)
nfl=AND825516Joseph Dominic Andruzzi (born
August 23 ,1975 inStaten Island , New York) is anAmerican football offensive guard who is a free agent. In May 2007 he was diagnosed withNon-Hodgkin's Lymphoma . [cite web
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2889476
title = Former Patriot Andruzzi expecting complete recovery
accessdate =
accessdaymonth = 9
accessmonthday = 14
accessyear = 2007
author =
last = Pasquarelli
first = Len
authorlink =
coauthors =
date = June 1, 2007
year =
month =
format =
work =
publisher = ESPN.com
pages =
language =
doi =
archiveurl =
archivedate =
quote = ]High School Years
Andruzzi attended Tottenville High School in
Staten Island, New York and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he was an All-City selection and a starter in both the offense and defense lines.College career
He attended
Southern Connecticut State University , where he played every position on the offensive line, and was a starter for the Fighting Owls all four years. He was aDivision II All-America n his junior and senior years. During his senior season, he was an offensive team captain, as the team set several offensive records.Pro career
Andruzzi was originally signed as an undrafted
free agent by theGreen Bay Packers in 1997 and spent that entire year on the Packers' roster, although he did not play in any games, including the Packers' run toSuper Bowl XXXII . Prior to the1998 NFL season , Andruzzi was allocated toNFL Europe by the Packers and played for theScottish Claymores , earning All-NFL Europe honors in the process. He later returned to Green Bay and backed upMarco Rivera at guard. He platooned at guard withMike Wahle the following season, but was forced to sit out several games due to a MCL sprain. He was waived by the Packers before the2000 NFL season and quickly signed with theNew England Patriots . He was a full-time starter for the squad, and won threeSuper Bowl rings with the team before signing with the Browns as an unrestricted free agent in March 2005. Andruzzi's coach,Romeo Crennel , was the defensive coordinator for the Patriots when Andruzzi was with the squad. He was released on May 2, 2007, in an unexpected move, as he was signed with the Browns through 2008.Personal
On
May 31 ,2007 it was revealed that Andruzzi had been diagnosed withnon-Hodgkin lymphoma , according to a release issued by his agent, Joe Linta. "While this condition is very serious, both Joe and his doctors feel he will quickly be on his way to a full recovery," the release said. In January, 2008 a Sports Illustrated article revealed that Andruzzi was diagnosed withBurkitt's Lymphoma , a rare, but aggressive cancer where a mass can double in size in just 24 hours [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/01/28/andruzzi/index.html?eref=si_mostpopular SI.com - Writers - The Bonus: Former Patriot Joe Andruzzi is in a fight for his life - Tuesday January 29, 2008 6:40PM ] ] .Trivia
*Andruzzi has three brothers (Marc, James and William), who are all New York City firefighters, and participated in extinguishing the fires caused by the
September 11, 2001 attacks .
*Andruzzi resides onStaten Island , and has a significant following in thatborough ofNew York City despite having played for a division rival of theNew York Jets while at New England.
*Andruzzi once paid for 100New York City Firefighters to attend a game between theNew York Jets and theNew England Patriots .
*Joe and his wife Jennifer have four children Hunter, Breanna, Thomas and Teresa.References
External links
*espn nfl|id=4081|name=Joe Andruzzi
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