Eddie Gazzillo “after” (above) losing 60 pounds on Weight Watchers and 85 overall (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
Eddie and the ‘losers’
Brooklyn’s Gazzillo basks in Weight Watchers fame
Eddie Gazzillo lost a bunch of weight and, in return, gained national notoriety – more than he ever could have imagined as a New York City high-school football coach.
After losing 60 pounds using Weight Watchers Online, the former Grand Street Campus coach wrote a thank-you letter to the company with his inspirational story. Three years later, he’s been whisked away to Beverly Hills to film three commercials, has his own Weight Watchers Online blog with more than 1,000 followers and an article about him was one of the most viewed on Yahoo! in 2010.
The Brooklyn native and Whitestone resident is a bona fide celebrity.
“Before I know it I’m walking down the streets, people are beeping at me,” Gazzillo said with a laugh. ” ‘Hey Eddie, I’m down 20 pounds!’ People feel the need to tell me what they’re eating.”
His commercials have aired during Good Morning America, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars and seen by millions of people across the country. The newest one, which just began airing April 24, is part of Weight Watchers Online’s campaign to target men. It is being shown during the NBA and NHL playoffs, Major League Baseball games on ESPN and was on multiple times during the NFL Draft.
Gazzillo’s catch phrases such as, “Gotta have that chicken parm!” and “Hey, Eddie!” which he says the older women in his neighborhood exclaim when he takes out the garbage shirtless, have taken on a life of their own. He said he was at a supermarket in Pennsylvania jostling with a shopping cart when two teenagers shouted “chicken parm!” at him.
“My wife Dawn is like, ‘Wow, you really are famous,’ ” Gazzillo said.
After sending the letter of thanks in 2008, Gazzillo didn’t hear back from Weight Watchers for a year and a half. But they called him in September of 2009 to be a part of an online photo shoot and article. That turned into a full-page story in their magazine, which spawned the commercial that was shot in February 2010.
While he was in LA, he took an elevator with Donna Summer, sat next to Quincy Jones at a restaurant, pulled up next to Ashton Kutcher‘s car and hobnobbed with Kevin Bacon.
“I kept saying thank you to the people there,” Gazzillo said. “They said this is the norm. I said, ‘There’s nothing normal about this to me. I’m a school teacher from Brooklyn.'”
Gazzillo, who played football at Lafayette for legendary coach Chris App, started the Grand Street program from scratch in 1999. The Wolves became a varsity program in 2001 and went undefeated on the bottom level of the PSAL’s three-tier system a year later. In 2004, after moving up a level, Gazzillo guided Grand Street to another perfect record and the squad went 8-1 in 2008 before making the jump to the PSAL’s city championship division — one of his greatest goals.
It was around that time that Gazzillo realized he needed to change his lifestyle. At his heaviest he was 230 pounds — pretty overweight for a 5-foot-8 guy. Being around a team of ripped football players helped push him.
“I just couldn’t take it anymore,” Gazzillo said. “I’m this short, pudgy guy. I’m around all these football players and I wasn’t giving them the proper role model they needed.”
He lost 25 pounds on his own before hitting a wall and he still wasn’t where he wanted to be. Though he was apprehensive about it at first because of its stereotype as something for women, Gazzillo tried Weight Watchers Online and it ended up being a huge success. He now walks around at about 153 pounds.
“It changed my whole life around,” Gazzillo said. “I have so much more energy. I’m confident now. I feel so much better.”
When people asked him how he lost all the weight, he was almost embarrassed to admit it was through Weight Watchers. People thought he was on a pill, he said. Gazzillo said he had to be honest, though, because he believes the system deserves credit. Before long he had fellow high school coaches and even college coaches calling him with their own success stories.
“They would say, ‘I saw your commercial — you’re my hero,’ ” Gazzillo said. “‘I joined Weight Watchers. I’m down 25 pounds.’ It was surreal. These were guys I looked up to.”
Gazzillo, 38, stepped down as head coach of Grand Street before last season to take a job as an assistant principal at a nearby elementary school, but still acts as an assistant on game days. Now, he’s the director of education and training for the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association — and not quite ready to leave the Big Apple to pursue acting.
“If I was given a contract to shoot 10 commercials I’d be like, ‘Hell, yeah!” Gazzillo said. “But I don’t see that happening.”
One special Mother’s Day gift
To Jose Reyes, Carlos Hernandez is the real hero. That’s why the Mets shortstop can’t wait to meet Carlos, his mom Lucia and the rest of the Hernandez family today, Mother’s Day, at Citi Field.
Last Tuesday, Jose invited Carlos and his family to the ballpark as part of the Mets’ Amazin’ Calls Program, sponsored by Verizon.
“Carlos is an amazing young man,” Reyes said. “His father died at an early age and he could have wound up with a life in the streets. Instead, he helped his mom raise his two younger sisters and brother and is going to be the first person in his family to go to college. I want to shake his hand and say, ‘Job well done.’ ”
Hernandez is a senior at the High School for Health Professions on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has been accepted at Tompkins Cortland Community College and Medgar Evers.
“I can’t wait to meet Jose,” he said. “I am a big Mets fan and a big Jose fan. I am also so happy for my mom. What a great Mother’s Day present. I owe her so much. She gets to go on the field, meet Jose and see a Mets game.”
CC’s memory lane
CC Sabathia‘s return to his hometown of Vallejo, Ca. and the North Vallejo Little League in particular, will be featured when YES’ Emmy Award-winning series Yankees on Deck premieres today at noon. One of his former coaches recounts how Sabathia played quarterback in the 10th grade and was bigger than any of the offensive linemen. CC’s mom recalls that she had to carry his birth certificate whenever he played an age-group football game because the opposing coaches couldn’t believe someone that big was that young, and would question his age.
‘Sloan’ the real deal
At BTIG’s recent 9th Commissions for Charity Day, Emmanuelle Chriqui (Sloan on “Entourage”) was the star trader — $70,000 in commissions in just 45 minutes. A-List celebrities from the sports, business and entertainment worlds joined forces to raise a charity-record $4.1 million for a variety of children’s charities. Yankees Mark Teixiera and Nick Swisher where the MVPs with the kids. Joe Namath was so excited he stayed for four hours and asked BTIG founder Steve Starker if he had a future in the business if he moved up from Florida and came out of retirement.
Down on The Donald
While Donald Trump may or may not run for president, some members of the Met Golf Writers Association are grumbling about the decision to honor him at their 60th annual dinner on June 7 at the Tarrytown Marriott. One prominent board member said he is “personally embarrassed” at the thought of Trump getting the mike and making a political rant at what has become the oldest, most prestigious golf-writers dinner in the country.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who will receive the Gold Tee Award, sportscaster Jim Nantz and Ernie Els will share the spotlight with The Donald, who has promised to be there to accept the “Family of the Year” award for the Trumps.
Lace up for Buckley’s
The annual Buckley’s-Kennedy’s 5K Charity Run will take place rain or shine next Sunday at Riis Park, Queens, at 10 a.m. The event — started 31 years ago by Jimmy Buckley, who died last July — benefits HeartShare, which provides assistance for those with developmental disabilities. For registration information and details about a family picnic following the race, contact (718) 422-3347 or visit http://www.heartshare.org/run. . . . Former Rangers Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu and Brian Mullen will host a free, all-day street hockey event at Pier 86 at the Intrepid Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Petty’s bike for more
Racing fans on the corridor from Corning, N.Y. to Farmington, Pa., may catch a glimpse of former NASCAR star Kyle Petty and some of his famous friends as they zoom by on their motorcycles today. Petty, son of the legendary Richard Petty, is being joined by Brad Daugherty, Herschel Walker and other celebrities on his annual charity ride, this time from Lake Placid to Amelia Island, Fla.
“It really started about 17 years ago as kind of a joke. Some buddies and I wanted to ride motorcycles to the racetrack,” Petty told The Rumble. “And here we are all this time later and we’ve raised $14 million for children’s charities.” This year’s proceeds will go to a children’s hospital in storm-ravaged Alabama, Petty said.