Andrew Gissinger III (July 4, 1959 – December 3, 2019) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East ...

. After retiring from football, he became the president and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

of Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. Gissinger also owned and managed a private equity company.

Education

Gissinger was an academic All American and four-year

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at Syracuse University where he majored in business. He was the recipient of the ''Joseph Alexander Award'' for his athletic and academic accomplishments at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

. He attended Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights, Ohio.

Football

Gissinger was a 6'5", 280 pound

selected with the first pick of the sixth round in the

1981 NFL draft The 1981 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held during April 28–29, 1981, at the New ...

. He played his entire three-year

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

career for the

from 1982 to 1984. In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, he also spent time playing

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

after injuries to regulars

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recogn ...

, Eric Sievers and Pete Holohan. Gissinger ruptured two disks in his back which ended his professional sports career.

Banking

Gissinger served Countrywide Home Loans from 1994 through 1996, and then from 2000 through 2008 when the company was acquired by

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

. While at Countrywide, Gissinger was the president and executive managing director of the Home Loans division. He became famous for leading the 2007 "Protect Our House" campaign which urged Countrywide employees to take criticism of the company as a personal attack. Bank of America retained Gissinger for a period of months after the acquisition to head several groups responsible for selling mortgages to consumers as the third highest-ranking official in the Bank of America Home Loans holding company. He was replaced by Craig Buffie, a 24-year Bank of America veteran. Prior to 2000, Gissinger owned and operated his own companies in real estate, development and mortgage banking.

Personal life & death

Gissinger was the father of five sons. Gissinger died from cancer on December 3, 2019 in California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gissinger, Andrew 1959 births 2019 deaths Living people American football offensive tackles San Diego Chargers players Syracuse Orange football players American business executives American businesspeople in real estate Corporate executives Bank of America executives Sportspeople from Barberton, Ohio American chief operating officers