Friends, teammates and the Omaha sports media community mourned the loss of former Nebraska offensive lineman and Husker football analyst Matt Vrzal, who died suddenly late this week.
News of Vrzal’s death spread through social media Thursday night into Friday morning. The owner of Piezon’s Pizzeria, 15606 W. Center Rd, and a longtime assistant coach at Omaha Skutt High School, Vrzal was 51.
He hosted shows and was a frequent guest on 1620 The Zone in Omaha, though he appeared on several stations and podcasts over the years. In radio/podcasting he was perhaps best known for the “Husker Hangover” program that ran Sundays after Nebraska football games.
“His passion for sports, his honesty and his humor connected him with his customers and Zone listeners in a way that few ever could,” 1620 said in a statement on X. Vrzal appeared as a guest on the network this month. “His impact stretched far beyond the microphone and the pizzeria.”
An all-state lineman from Grand Island High School in 1992, Vrzal walked on at NU and played a key reserve and special teams role for the 1994 and 1995 national title teams, plus the 1996 squad that advanced to the Big 12 Championship game.
“We lost one today,” said former Nebraska defensive tackle Steve Warren on X. “I’m having trouble processing this one. Rest up my friend.”
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