Diane Addonizio is a businesswoman and non-practicing lawyer who is most known as the wife of NFL formal defensive end and actor Howie Long. Long and Addonizio have been married for nearly four decades, during which time they have three children.
All of Addonizio’s children are now adults and thriving in their different fields. In the article below, you may learn more about Diane’s parents, education, job, and many other information.
Diane Addonizio’s Childhood Years; Her Father Was Diagnosed With Lymphoma
Page Contents
- 1 Diane Addonizio’s Childhood Years; Her Father Was Diagnosed With Lymphoma
- 2 Diane Won A Beauty Pageant; Her High School and College
- 3 Diane Addonizio’s Marriage to Her Husband Howie Long
- 4 Diane Didn’t Get Valentine’s Day Gifts From Howie
- 5 Their Marriage
- 6 One of her children is a Super Bowl champion.
- 7 Her family was affected by an earthquake.
- 8 Diane Addonizio’s Net Worth
Diane Addonizio was born on March 16, 1962, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in the town of Red Bank. Frank Addonizio and Maria Cecere are her parents. Diane’s only sibling, James Addonizio, is also a lawyer. He, on the other hand, is a practicing lawyer.
Her father was a former security director for an Indian Institute of Technology subsidiary and a war veteran. In his early 80s, he was apparently diagnosed with lymphoma. Frank Long, Diane’s father, used to live in a cottage on the Longs’ 65-acre property. Her family was devoutly Catholic.
Diane Won A Beauty Pageant; Her High School and College
Addonizio went to Red Bank High School before attending Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She was the Monmouth County Beauty pageant champion on May 12, 1978. Diane attended Middletown High School South as well. Diane had intellectual interests in political science and acting during her high school years.
In 1985, she graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in classical studies.
Diane then went on to study law at the University of Southern California School of Law, where she earned a law degree in 1987.
Diane Addonizio is also a published author.
Addonizio created a book on sportsmen, but not about their roles in sports, but about being a father. He’s Just My Dad was the title of the book. The book was released in the year 2000. Diane also serves on the NFL’s Head UP Football Advisory Committee.
Diane Addonizio’s Marriage to Her Husband Howie Long
Addonizio and Howie met while both were students at Villanova University. Diane Addonizio’s potential NFL star was a one-year senior.
Howie invited Diane to his room to watch an NFL game on television with him. Howard’s grandmother had given him a small 12-inch black-and-white TV, he explained to Vault.
Addonizio recalled her early experiences with Howie, saying she had never encountered anybody that huge and that good-looking.
He was always driven, she said, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. He imagined people were staring at him everywhere they went.
According to Howard, they were watching a Dallas game at the time of the event. He also mentioned that it was during the time when they were still experimenting with Randy White at linebacker.
He got a running start on one play and knocked the ball carrier’s helmet off. Howie then told Diane,
‘Did you see that?’
He admitted to acting completely insane in front of his future wife on their first date.
Diane Didn’t Get Valentine’s Day Gifts From Howie
Addonizio used to be irritated when Howard didn’t give her Valentine’s Day gifts in the early days of their relationship. Later, Howie explained to her how holidays and special days meant nothing to him.
When everyone at Villanova went home for the holidays or the summer, Howard was always the man who stayed in the dorm. It appears that his uncertain childhood made him hesitant to commemorate such occasions.
Diane explained her husband’s lack of interest by saying,
“You know how a child’s bed means so much to him? He never had his own, after all. While he was bouncing around from relative to relative, it was always a couch or something. He was always living out of a suitcase and carrying his belongings.”
They dated for a few years before getting engaged shortly after graduation. Howie purchased an engagement ring for Diane after signing a $38,000 NFL contract in 1981.
Their Marriage
In June 1982, the husband and wife married. Diane discloses in her book, A Farewell to Arms, Legs, and Jockstraps: A Sportswriter’s Memoir, that she learnt a lot about street smarts from her husband, while he learned about diplomacy from her.
Addonizio lives in Albemarle County, Virginia, with her family.
One of her children is a Super Bowl champion.
Three children have been born to Howie and Addozinio. On March 28, 1985, they welcomed their first child, a son called Christopher Howard, into the world in Santa Monica, California. After three years, the couple welcomed their second child, Kyle Howard, on December 5, 1988. Matthew Howard, their youngest son, was born in 1990.
All of her sons are NFL players like their father; Christopher was a defensive end for the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Howard and Diane’s eldest son won two Super Bowls, LI and LII, first with the New England Patriots and subsequently with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chris announced his retirement on May 18, 2019, following the 2018 season.
Similarly, her second son Kyle played with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League from 2013 to 2019. The former University of Oregon collegiate footballer is now a guard with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mathew, the family’s youngest member, works as a scouting assistant and personal assistant for the Raiders. He also works at Legends Las Vegas Stadium as a premium sales consultant. He previously played lacrosse at Virginia.
From their oldest son Chris’ marriage to Megan O’Malley, the Longs have two grandchildren, Waylon James Long and Luke Redding Long.
She has spoken out about the safety of her sons and other football players.
Diane Addonizio attended a panel talk at the Walter Payton Center on her way to supporting her boys’ football careers. Over 300 mothers of football players attended the occasion. Its primary goal was to increase football safety.
Diane has spoken out on player safety multiple times, notably at the aforementioned panel discussion at the Walter Payton Center, which was held by the Chicago Bears in 2014. Diane stressed tackling methods from Heads Up Football, as well as playing in the heat, hydration, and correct equipment, during the event.
Her family was affected by an earthquake.
Mrs. Long and her family lived in Los Angeles for 12 years. Diane worked as a corporate lawyer while her husband was a Raiders player at the time.
The family, however, spent several sleepless nights in their Suburban after the Northridge 6.7 Richter scale earthquake struck the neighborhood.
Addonizio and her family eventually relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia.
Diane Addonizio’s Net Worth
Diane Addonizio net worth is $2 million as of 2023. Meanwhile, her husband Howie, who is 6ft 5in tall, is said to be worth $16 million. His annual pay was $4 million. Needless to say, Diane has amassed a sizable fortune as a result of his football career.
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