Howie Long’s Wife – Diane Addonizio Wiki (Bio, Age, Attorney, Kids)
If you are an ardent fan of American football, then you must have heard the name of Howie Long. Born on January 6, 1960 as Howard Matthew Moses Long, Howie happens to be a former American football defensive end. He was also an actor and sports analyst. Howie has played in the NFL for 13 seasons and has spent his whole career with the Raiders franchise in Oakland, Los Angeles.
While he played football, Howie was named to eight Pro Bowls. He also helped the Los Angeles Raiders bag a championship in Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. He got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. After retiring from the world of American football, Howie decided to pursue a career as an actor. At present, he serves as a studio analyst for Fox Sports’ NFL coverage. Former NFL defensive end Chris Long and former NFL guard Kyle Long are his sons.
Diane Addonizio
Before gaining popularity as being the wife of Howie Long, Diane Addonizio was a popular and successful lawyer, as well as a businesswoman. It was her hard work and dedication towards her work that finally made her taste success in the field of law. Even though Diane had carved a niche for herself as a successful lawyer, she came into the limelight after her romantic relationship with the former NFL defensive end and actor Howie Long. After spending a long time with each other, the two finally decided to marry.
Their wedding took place on June 27, 1982. After getting into a relationship with a popular celebrity, Diane soon became more popular as a celebrity wife. Nonetheless, she did not let her popularity cloud her judgment and damage her professional career. She continued to work hard as a lawyer and a businesswoman.
Once Howie decided to retire from the world of sports, Diane took the role of a supporting wife for him. She also became a successful and crucial part of Howie’s long journey of achievement. The couple have three sons of their own, Chris, Kyle, and Howard Long Jr. when it comes to the showbiz field, Diane has always proved to be the best wife and mother. Even to this day, she is better known as The First Lady of the NFL.
Childhood Days and Education
Going back in time, Diane was born in a Catholic family in 1962. However, her actual date of birth and year are still unknown. She was raised by her parents in Red Bank, New Jersey. Diane holds an American nationality and belongs to the White Ethnicity. Nothing much is known about her parents except for the fact that her father was a Security Director of the IIT subsidiary.
Fast-forwarding to her educational life, Diane studied hard to get her admission in Villanova University. It is an Augustinian Catholic University situated in Pennsylvania, USA. She graduated from Villanova University and achieved her degree in Classical Studies. This was not the end of her education life. She pursued further education and joined the University Of Southern California School Of Law. This is where she attained all her legal knowledge and skills in the field of law. After achieving the degree in law, Diane did not waste any time and quickly joined the workforce. She served as a responsible employee of a popular law firm and soon built her own career as an attorney.
Her Successful Career
Although Diane is more popular now as a celebrity wife after marrying Howie Long, she did not let this hamper her professional career. With the help of her hard work, Diane soon became a successful lawyer and a businesswoman. It is not possible for every person to achieve success in their dream profession until you give it your best shot. Diane followed this same rule in her professional career and accomplished her goals. She never kept herself free. She always kept herself busy with different types of work. Initially, she started off with her career as a lawyer for several years.
Once she received her degree from the USC, she started working as an attorney. While she worked as a lawyer, she met Howie. Since then she has been supporting him in his sports career. Although Diane was always busy and found it difficult to give sufficient time to her family, she thought of something new. She decided to enter the world of business. She soon started concentrating in becoming a successful businesswoman. This decision of hers did not prove to be wrong and she soon started earning good returns from her business investments.
Even today Diane dedicates her time taking good care of her celebrity husband and three sons. She is also involved in the NFL as the Head UP Football Advisory Committee. Apart from being a gorgeous woman, Diane is also kind at heart and is also known by her philanthropic nature. The rewards that she receives from her investments are all given away in charity. However, she failed to get her fair share of success even after tying the knot with her star husband. Nonetheless, she is satisfied with her life and enjoys her time with her entire family.
Life with Her Husband
Most of you may not know that both Howie and Diane know each other from their days at Villanova University. Both used to study there and have been friends for a very long time. Soon Howie invited Diane over to his place to watch a game of NFL on TV. After spending a long time together as friends, they soon realized that it is time to take their relationship a step further. They had excellent chemistry between them and ultimately decided to get engaged to each other. It was on June 29, 1982 that the couple finally decided to exchange their wedding vows.
In an interview, Diane spoke about her relationship with her husband both before and after the wedding. She went on to reveal, “Attractive, the boy was attractive. I’d never met anyone that big who was that good-looking.” She further added, “He was always like a volcano about to erupt, always driven. Everywhere we went, he thought people were staring at him.”
When asked about her relationship, Diane said, “He didn’t send me a Valentine’s Day card when we first started going together. That upset me, and I told him so. Then he explained how holidays never meant anything special to him. At Villanova when everyone went home for the holidays or the summer he was always the guy who stayed in the dorms. You know how a child’s bed is special to him? Well, he never had his own. It was always a couch or something, while he was bouncing around from relative to relative. He was always living out of a suitcase, he always had his possessions on him. It took me a while to understand that.”
Their Kids
As mentioned earlier, Howie and Diane have three boys. The eldest of them all, Christopher Howard, was born in 1985. Their second son, Kyle Howard, was born three years later in 1988. After their second son, the couple decided to go ahead with a third child. Matthew Howard is their third and smallest child. Diane has no regrets that she had to sacrifice her career as a lawyer and a businesswoman in order to raise her three kids. The boys are all grown up and pursuing a career like their father in the NFL. Even till this day the couple stay happily with their three kids.