Biggest human I’ve ever seen. He was on the field with all Americans and was still far bigger than anyone there by a mile. Just massive
He came back for a spring game when he was playing for the chargers. Standing next to him at the Rail. His head was as big as my torso.
Found this from an old ESPN article:
ESPN The Magazine: Rock Star
by Bruce Feldman
ESPN The Magazine |
Welcome to a defensive tackle’s nightmare. Hunkering down into his three-point stance, DT
Ryan Gillenwater flexes his fingertips into the spongy carpet, fully prepared to defend Baylor’s home turf against the rampaging visitors from Nebraska. Gillenwater slowly raises his head. Then his eyes bulge and his heart skips.
Day-yamn! Look at the size of this guy’s friggin’ face. Sitting on a huge torso on the other side of the line is a melon that looks like it’s about to burst through the thin red bars that bind it. Gillenwater blinks away the disbelief, regains his composure and glares at the ball, watching for the snap. But when it comes, Gillenwater, a mere waif at 263 pounds, is lost before he can even react. A huge flash of red crashes into his chest like a fire truck, sending him flying from the line. And as Gillenwater lies on the turf, his senses scrambled, a deep menacing belly laugh draws him back to reality. Welcome to the world of
Toniu Fonoti.
To his opponents, Nebraska’s 6'4", 363-pound guard doesn’t even appear human. He’s more like a rhino with a goatee. His head is as big as a beer keg; his calves are Virginia Hams. And the rhino part?
Milt Tenopir, the Huskers’ crusty OL coach, has seen his linemen collect six of Nebraska’s record eight Outland Trophies, and says Toniu (
ta-NOO) is the school’s best ever. “His level of intensity is overpowering,” says Tenopir.