John Malecki

John Malecki is a former football player, YouTuber, and furniture builder. John Malecki worked as an offensive guard while playing for the Tennessee Titans. He was a standout athlete at the University of Pittsburgh before that.

John signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans on April 26, 2010, after going undrafted in 2010.

He was living the life he had always imagined, complete with a stadium, people, and raucous applause.

Early Life, Family, and Education

John Malecki was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 26, 1988, to Angela and John Malecki Sr.

Geoffrey Malecki, his younger brother, is fourteen months his junior.

Clearly, John did not have a difficult time growing up because he had a playmate.

Angela, John’s mother, has been a softball player since she was eight years old and played until her final year of high school.

Unfortunately, due to a knee injury, she had to put her career on hold.

She would no longer be able to receive a college scholarship.

Furthermore, his father, Malecki Sr., was a basketball player who did not take advantage of any opportunities to showcase his abilities through organized sports because he had to work from a young age to support his family.

Geoffrey was born fourteen months after John walked into the world, as previously stated.

Yes, John Sr. and Angela were unsure whether their child would be a boy or a girl.

However, their (kids’) fate had already been decided. Their dreams, you see, were older than they were.

Angela recognized an athlete in each of her sons. She was well aware that her sons possessed some sort of athletic ability.

She intended for John and Geoffrey to be on separate t-ball teams. Having the brothers on the same team, she believes, would be unjust.

Childhood Recollections

In Murrysville, Pennsylvania, John Malecki had the opportunity to grow up across the street from “Franklin Regional High School.”

From the minute they moved in, a noise from Friday Night Football piqued his interest.

Since then, he’s also been addicted to a dream in which he hears his name shouted out loud by a stadium full of supporters.

Every time he saw the game’s audience and players, he desired to be one of them. No, not from the standpoint of the viewers, but from the standpoint of the players.

The players’ style of walking onto the field and slapping one other’s shoulder pads drew him in.

It had only wooed him. John would just stare at them for a moment, thinking about how cool they were.

John vividly remembered his parents asking him if he wanted to play organized football. Only he knew; yeah, his heart screamed it out.

It was the late 1990s, and he was about to enter sixth grade, with his father working as a maintenance worker at his high school.

John Sr. ensured that his son was aware of the dangers of being injured on the field. He needed to psychologically and physically prepare himself as the most formidable competitor.

When older John instructed him to tackle, deal, and offend, they were on top of the hill outside the rear door. And this was something his father had instilled in him.

Days at School

The guy who used to hear the applause and intercom announcements from his residence with his father eventually became a celebrity.

And why he was encouraged to retaliate and fight back even harder. His father’s preaching and teachings were all working in his favor.

Franklin Regional won the AAA Pennsylvania State Championship under John’s leadership.

It was a memorable occasion for him not because he was acknowledged for his accomplishments, but because he was able to celebrate the victory with the people with whom he had played since sixth grade.

Facts of John Malecki

Net Worth and Salary

Bringing straight on John Malecki’s salary and net worth, when he was an NFL player, John used to earn a base salary of $3,90,000 after signing a two-year agreement with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.

The contract was worth $870,000. Other than that, it is clear that John has been making his living out of his furniture-making business. He is a YouTuber as well.

Thus, we don’t have to keep saying that he must live the life he wanted. He is already on the heights of success but still keeps pushing himself harder to bring out new every day.

When asked about his favorite project, John says, “My last project is typically my favorite project just because I continually am pushing myself to do something over the top.”

One of his favorite products is the industrial reclaimed kitchen island. It had some metalwork, reclaimed work, cabinetry, and carcass work.

It ended up looking good and surprised him with satisfaction.

College Career

Malecki elected to stay close to home and play offensive guard for the University of Pittsburgh.

College football was all about having a good time, learning new things, and gaining valuable experience. It was also about close friendships and bonding, to be sure.

When John and his friends weren’t on the football field, they relaxed by moving around and hanging out with one another. In the lunchroom, they played ping pong and BSed.

John was named to the Big East Football All-Academic Team. After the 2008 season, he was named the Pittsburgh Panthers’ “Most Improved Offensive Player.”

In addition, his football experience helped him earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Pitt in 2010.

Professional Career

Titans of Tennessee

John signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans on April 26, 2010, after going undrafted in 2010.

He was living the life he had always imagined, complete with a stadium, people, and raucous applause.

Mike Munchak was the head coach, and he was inexperienced. He believed that the same approach that got him here would assist him in the NFL.

But John was mistaken; the NFL was a legitimate fast-paced industry. Your position has been reassigned to someone who is more qualified.

On August 10, 2010, he was finally released.

Browns of Cleveland

John was hired by the Cleveland Browns on August 13, 2010, but was dismissed before he could even unpack his belongings on August 31.

On October 26, 2010, John signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and joined the practice squad.

On January 4, 2011, he was re-signed to a futures contract by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after spending the 2010 season on the practice squad.

On August 7, 2011, John signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played for the Washington Redskins for a short time.

John was just 20 minutes from Latrobe at his home in Murrysville. But then he got a call from the Steelers, asking him to join their offensive line.

Because one of the Steelers had to leave the squad for some reason, the offensive line had a vacancy.

On October 19, 2011, John simply got in his truck and traveled there to become a Steeler. On October 26, he was discharged from the practice squad.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

On January 18, 2012, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed John to a futures contract for the second time.

He was quickly discharged and reassigned to the practice squad. John was gradually promoted to a spot on the active roster.

Following the teams’ back-and-forth, he got some playing time in a game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field in December 2012.

His entire family, past teammates, and friends were in attendance to offer their support.

With that huge smile on his face, his father’s face shone brightly. “It was fantastic to be a part of that,” John stated.

Mrs. Malecki, on the other hand, was ecstatic to see him play. She also recalled a Browns fan requesting that she tone down her voice.

John, on the other hand, had a fantastic time with the Steelers.

Willie Colon, Max Starks, Maurkice Pouncey, and Doug Legursky invited him to join the brotherhood and accepted him as the underdog.

John was a Super Bowl champion, and the two continued to play together for many years. There was something he liked about those guys.

However, his time with the Steelers was short-lived. John was just enjoying his time and thrilled with joy.

He was all in a celebratory mood up for fishing and hunting with his father. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a call pops in. And this time, it was not good news.

He was waived from the squad again. And this time, it was an abrupt end to his NFL career.

No doubt John still misses the ramp-up to the first game of the season, the training camp, the banter, the meeting room.

Woodworking & New Beginning

Well, God also helps those who help themselves. The finishing of a football career was a start to a new beginning.

He took a year off from just about everything and tried to figure out something new and innovative.

John developed his new passion for building custom furniture with a little bit of aesthetic touch. He began doing DIY projects in his free time.

Not to mention, creativity was an inherited gift from his parents. Angela is a hairstylist, and her mother was involved in a drapery business.

John’s brother Geoffrey is a musician in California. His father, Senior Maleski, worked in a construction company for a certain period.

According to him, “Everyone takes a tool and gets on board.”

How did he get started?

Once his friends broke a coffee table, they had to get a new one, as per sources.

But instead, John looked for a plan, built it, and replaced it. Since then, he started finding his love and passion for woodworking.

John bagged his first-ever project for former Steelers teammate Baron Batch an artist who bought a spacious home and wanted some unique customized furniture.

He and Baron brainstormed together and subsequently built tables and cabinets that best suited the aura of the house.

One of John’s work

Following that, John started displaying his stuff on social media, which quite opened a way for him.

He started getting queries about his new business, and most people loved the craft and the work. He initiated building and producing furniture to pay his bills and stuff.

John was not a stranger to constructing and building things, as his father and grandfather were already involved.

Moreover, he used internet sources to study metalworking, woodworking, and welding.

Pittsburgh as an Inspiration

The only mantra that John focused on was getting a drill and seeing what you can make. It’s not the tool that you use.

It is the way that you apply and sees how creative you are. Similarly, John has always taken his place as a tool for inspiration.

According to him, “I am lucky enough to live in a city with so much history.” He just embodies that reclaimed industrial aesthetic in his work.

He tries to draw the city’s essence, brick and steel buildings with wooden walls all up and down downtown.

John’s designs are simply authentic that display the essence of good times. He makes sure each of his designs, no matter what, tells a story.

John’s workroom for his business, JM Custom Builds itself, is in the underground room of this historic old school building in Homestead, Pa.

The location was once a house to astounding steel mills. Talking about inspiration, John is a big fan of Jimmy DiResta. He likes his content, and there is a kind of aesthetic enjoyment.

Marc Spagnuolo, with whom he learned all the wood crafting skills, is really fond of him. And then there is Ben Uyeda, whom he appreciates a lot as a content maker.

A high-time Youtuber

Youtube has always helped him to keep grinding. He says. “There is a vast amount of knowledge on any subject on youtube.”

John also operates his own channel on youtube and has his own website as, johnmalecki.com.

It is also there where he had the project of cutting boards and fire pits running as well. Moreover, his business content is also displayed on Instagram.

To boot on, John also has a supplemental website that’s metalandwood.us, and that’s where he showcases all his designs for selling purposes.

That is the only place where the clients can enjoy their portfolio.

John wears several hats as a business owner, custom fabricator, videographer, marketing head, designer, and photographer.

He is a one-person show and is also planning to put his hands forward for collaboration if needed.

Not to mention, John is also a part of the DIY movement and loves to grow and evolve out of it.

It’s not like one day he wakes up and makes a plan, and the other day, boom, the furniture building plan is a huge success.

It took a lot of time, effort, dedication, and sacrifices. He stayed in his friend’s basement for two and a half years and kept grinding for his passion.

Co-hosting a creative Channel

John co-hosts a podcast,” Made for Profit,” with Brad Rodriguez.

It all started when the two met at a show and realized how talking about the business aspect of woodworking and making DIY can help makers evolve.

Therefore, they thought of hosting a podcast to talk about money-making in the shop and monetizing as an artist.

And it is going quite well; the podcast has managed to grab quite a whopping audience. It has also formed a learning base for them.

Also Read:          Nikola Mirotic               Tegla Loroupe               Darren Collison

Personal Life, Wife & Kids

Coming to the personal aspects of John Malecki’s life, there is nothing much to remain curious about. He is a simple man with a simple living.

There is nothing obnoxious or hideous about him. John is currently in a marital relationship with his wife, Sara Linkosky Malecki.

Sadly, there is not much revealed about Sara on the internet, but yes, you can surely follow her on Instagram and know more about her. She is available there as @malinkky.

Furthermore, John and Sara share a great bond and have fallen for each other madly yet profoundly.

However, the couple is not hogging all this love to themselves but has expanded their family as they have welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby girl Annie Elizabeth Malecki on March 12, 2021.

So far, the happy couple is living a blissful life. And both of them have yet to be mingled in any rumors or controversies regarding their marriage.

Even though John seems to be quite a busy man, he takes out enough time to spend with his family.

Just a quick, interesting fact, John has also been benefitting his personal life with his art and craft skills.

He made his own ring when he was getting married. As per him, this was the most fulfilling and enjoyable moment of his life.

Below is the Youtube video where you can find him making a wedding ring with a steel block.

Social Media Presence

Malecki is an entrepreneur, and he knows what social media means when you are making money out of business.

Thus, he is available on each possible social networking site with a great number of followers.

His Facebook has 150k followers, his Instagram has 243k followers, his Twitter has 11.5k followers and his Youtube has 629k subscribers.