He went through some real hardships at times, things that would have crushed other men. It is no exaggeration to say that Larry gave me my break in writing, and I will always be grateful for the time he spent coaching me. So when I review a show that doesnt click, whether it is because of poor booking decisions, bad wrestling, or all of the above, it annoys me. I remember the messages from people who wanted Larry to know how inspired they were by his journey. Its a weird feeling when someone leaves us whom youve never actually met, but feel a sort of kinship with. Would have been great to have a bad movie night with the guy and just crack jokes back and forth. There is not a column Ive written where I havent somehow, in some way, glanced over his work to double check my sources. 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. He refused to live being remembered as Fullback Larry Csonka. DINO ZUCCONI: Larry has already gotten truck loads of praise for the quantity of work he published over his time covering the industry and that aspect of his work is absolutely unmatched, but Larry was also one of the most genuine and approachable people in the pro wrestling space. Kelly Harrass: In our little wrestling writing community, its hard to find someone as universally loved as Larry was. We actually started at roughly the same time, and nearly instantly, Larry went from our new TNA reviewer to basically running the site. He showed me that writing is an act of love, and he helped me learn to love how much I love professional wrestling. For me, I am here. 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. LARRY CSONKA NFL HALL OF FAME CAREER LARRY CSONKA NFL CAREER - YouTube In the memoir's epilogue, Csonka noted he had asked Saltis to stand and be recognized during the ceremony. By the time 411Mania was christened, Larry was a fixture and to me, the face of the entire site. My dad figured out a path for him because when he talked to me about it, he said, 'This kid's going to be a great football player someday,' Dr. Saltis said. That meant he put up with watching some horrible shows and matches. I wrote for the movie-zone and Larry for wrestling, so we didnt converse on a daily basis, but did indeed work together for several years and shared a passion for 411mania and making it the best it could be. 1,000-yard Duo: Csonka and Morris | Pro Football Hall of Fame - pfhof I had to stop multiple times reading everybodys tributes here and over at 411 because they got me all choked up. We all know how incredibly subjective match ratings are but in my mind, Larrys were always the right ones. He was critical when he saw things to be critical about, and he was both eloquent and colloquial in his praise when things deserved such. Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event. App. You are loved, and you will be missed. I learned that he was a hard working man. He wasn't a phony. $5.85 shipping. 4/27 WWE Live Event Report Birmingham, U.K.: Cody vs. Balor headlines, notable crowd reactions for Bayley and Belair, Lashley vs. Given that I spent the majority of my time in the MMA zone we interacted somewhat sparingly, but he was always supporting and caring. In Head On, Csonka pulls back the curtain to share how they achieved their legendary Perfect Season . Larry was, of course, first and foremost a wonderful father and husband. And of course he was responsible for it; there was little he wasnt responsible for when it came to the Wrestling Zone. Larry leaves behind his loving wife, Christi and their two beautiful daughters Hana & Aleksandra (Aleks). 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. The Flagship: CM Punk At It Again, New WWE Title, STARDOM & more! I mean, I thought I was a wrestling fan and that I knew a lot about it. He also led by example, always stepping up when needed, always jumping in to help others. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey. I don't know. Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee. We knew of his daughters, of his wife, of his mother, of his health scares, his leg loss. SPONSORED. Do it. Though I do not believe we had final confirmation at that point, by all rights it seemed he would die. Writing about wrestling is woven into every fiber of my love of the industry. Larry is one of the most valuable resources pro wrestling has had since the turn of the century. Steve Case: Back around 2012-2013, when I learned that wrestling matches received praise and shame via star ratings and written reviews, I settled on three places that seemed to more or less share my views of the medium. Case Lowe: Theres nothing worse than reviewing a bad wrestling show. He made you feel. Larry Csonka Has Passed Away | 411MANIA Fifty years have passed since the Dolphins' historic 17-0 season. And somehow, over a decade later, he wasnt done. In 2013, I remember finally sending him an email that Id like to come back. When I started traveling to shows Id check certain people if they were coming, Larry always wanted to wait until his daughter was older instead of going solo. 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 . The cause of death was not disclosed. According to the arrest report, cell phone video taken by one of the passengers shows the car topping out at 105 mph, and captured the screams of the occupants during the crash. 22.9K Followers. Just a few months ago, I saw her tweet him about the fact that she recently re-discovered the signed Colony masks that he helped her obtain at a CHIKARA show when she was a child, and it brought the same smile to my face that it did when Larry first related the story of getting the masks for her many years ago. 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. The Larry Csonka I shared many a late night chat with is the Larry I will remember. Larry Csonka is not having an affair with anyone presently. It only took three weeks for me. I stayed away from the emotional parts of divorce and all the different things [in the memoir], Csonka said. I was even less likely to do so in my mid-20s, but despite the sometimes visceral reactions some of my columns got, Larry always stood by me and appreciated what I brought to the site, even when I was sitting there going Crap, I guess I can kiss this gig goodbye.. He is ignoring the lecture and reading an article on CNN. Fast forward six years. I cant imagine how many people he introduced to new promotions and new wrestlers and just a general new way of viewing professional wrestling as an artform it has to be countless. I am devastated for his family. What good does that serve, really? As I went down through it all, what stands out is how so many wrote that they read Larrys columns and reviews, and that he was the first source they went for a review and a reaction to a show, especially if they hadnt actually watched the shows themselves. On Twitter, he is following the personalities Barack Obama, Jerome Bettis, and Conrado Giulietti. To lose him so suddenly is unfair, and we are lesser without him in our lives. Larry didnt. And I cant separate the time Ive spent writing for 411 from Larry Csonka. STEVE COOK: (1051 yards in 1971, 1117 yards in 1972, and 1003 yards in 1973. Bradshaw kept reminding Csonka he had decided in 2005 on the night they were rescued by the Coast Guard from a ship in the Bering Sea he would share his memories. He wasnt rushing to the keyboard every morning to deliver a hot take designed to get people worked up. One only has to look at the outpouring of sadness and respect across social media to see the impact he made in peoples lives. Csonka was no stranger to trouble. He never shot any idea I had down, and didnt even bat an eye when I considered helping out a friend with another wrestling site. Csonka had attempted to play football before Saltis' crash course, but he quit because he had no clue how to approach the sport and found himself relegated to blocking-dummy duty. However, his initial journey as a football player got a little bit shaky when he suffered from a concussion during the fifth match against Buffalo.