Bruce Matthews (American football)
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| Bruce Matthews | |
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| Position(s): Offensive Lineman |
Jersey #(s): 74 |
| Born: August 8, 1961 Raleigh, North Carolina |
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| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1983–2001 | |
| NFL Draft: 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | |
| College: USC | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| Games played | 296 |
| Games started | 292 |
| Fumble recoveries | 10 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Bruce Rankin Matthews (born August 8, 1961) played American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tennessee Titans franchise from 1983 through 2000. He is considered one of the best offensive lineman in NFL history and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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[edit] Personal
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bruce was the son of Clay Matthews, Sr., who played in the NFL in the 1950s. His brother, also named Clay Matthews, played 19 seasons in the NFL. In the 1970's the family lived on the North Shore of Chicago where Bruce attended New Trier High School for one year. Matthews later moved to Los Angeles, where he was a standout playing on both the offensive and defensive line at Arcadia High School. He was also an all-league wrestler. Currently he is coaching the Lawrence E. Elkins High School football team in Missouri City, Texas.
[edit] College career
He attended the University of Southern California, where he played all offensive line positions at various times, earning All-America honors in his senior year and winning the Morris Trophy.
[edit] Professional career
Matthews was drafted ninth in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, where he would block for the legendary Earl Campbell and eventually play all line positions (guard, center and tackle), going to the Pro Bowl as a guard and center. He was selected to fourteen Pro Bowls in all, tying a league record held by Merlin Olson. Matthews was also named first-team All-Pro nine times (1988-1993, 1998-2000) and All-AFC 12 seasons (1988-1993, 1995-2000). He was selected as a guard on the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s. His entire career was spent with the Oilers franchise, which relocated in the middle of his career and became the Tennessee Titans. An extremely durable player, Matthews recorded the longest playing longevity at any position. He holds the league record for most games (296) and seasons (19) played by an offensive lineman. Matthews retired after the 2001 season.
In his first year of eligibility, Matthews was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2007. He is the only player from the Tennessee Titans to be given this honor. He was the fifth player from the 1983 NFL draft class to be enshrined, joining Dan Marino, Eric Dickerson, John Elway, and Jim Kelly (Darrell Green would later become the sixth player from the 1983 NFL Draft to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Matthews appears as the starting Center for the Tennessee Titans in Madden NFL 2003 (that simulated the 2002 NFL Season) despite being retired.
- Matthews was the only player to play against the Baltimore Colts in their last game at Memorial Stadium and the Baltimore Ravens in their last game at Memorial Stadium.
[edit] External links
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