Howie Long’s wife has had three kids for him, but very little is known about her. Perhaps it is because of how private she is that people think her husband is married to a different woman.
Howie Long is a former NFL star who was known for his versatility. He was so flexible that he was able to successfully play all five defensive line positions.
Long entered the game of football with a goal, and nothing stopped him from achieving it. He played the game, won several accolades, retired at the top and also got the lady. But who is she?
Who is Howie Long’s Wife?
Howie Long’s wife is a gorgeous woman named Diane Addonizio, who hails from Red Bank, New Jersey.
She is a classical studies major who graduated from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. It was during this time that she met Long, who would become her future husband.
Diane later went to study law at the University of Southern California. After graduating, she practised law in Los Angeles for some time
When did Howie Long Marry His Wife?
Howie Long and Diane Addonizio fell in love with each other as college students. Their dating relationship began while they attended Villanova University.
Diane Addonizio, a classical studies major, met Long in her freshman year when he was a sophomore. Looking back, she recalled him being moody and difficult to understand but attractive.
She said:
“I’d never met anyone that big who was that good-looking.”
Their first real date happened in his room, where he invited her to watch an NFL game on a small 12-inch TV he got from his granny.
Diane remembers him as a man who had many other men he adored. It took her some time to get accustomed to Long and the way his mind worked.
When she finally did, Diane fell deeply in love with him and decided he was the one. As a couple, they walked down the aisle on June 27, 1982, and later welcomed three kids.
Long Fulfilled His Lifelong Dream
Long grew up as the closest thing to an orphan and in the beginning he never liked football. He didn’t think he had the mettle for it, even though he was bigger than many guys his age.
Eventually, when he started playing, his fears would plague him, making him wonder if he could do it. But he always showed up.
As he got older, life led him into football, and eventually, he stopped fighting it and started aspiring.
He joined the Raiders as a second-round draft pick out of Villanova in 1981 and became one of the best defensive linemen to ever play.
To many, it looked like he had been born for the sport. He was huge and had uncanny strength and swiftness that bellied it all.
His lifelong dream was to gain renown and get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that was what happened.
Long Retired At The Peak
As his fame spread, Long got the chance to play in eight Pro Bowls, where he was twice named the NFL’s Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association.
In 1983, the talented sportsman led the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII against Washington. He was one of the two defensive ends on the 1980s All-Decade Team.
It is not uncommon for great NFL stars to be forced into retirement thanks to injuries or worse, but Long was lucky.
Long hung his boots in 1993 after playing his final game at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in January 1994.
His remarkable career ended with the induction he wanted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2000.
After his retirement, he became an analyst for FOX NFL SUNDAY. He became a mainstay on the show, assuming the additional role of pregame and halftime analyst for Thursday Night Football from 2018 to 2021.
Today, his passion for the sport remains, and he continues to give his views as an experienced Hall of Famer.
He is happy with how his life has gone, but Long remains aware of how wrong things could have gone without the good people he had around him.