Bruce Matthews
| Bruce Matthews | |
|---|---|
 Bruce Matthews (left); Clay Matthews, 1984 |
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| Position(s): Offensive Line |
Shirt number(s): 74 |
| born on 8 August 1961 in Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| Career Information | |
| Active: 1983-2001 | |
| NFL Draft: 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | |
| College: University of Southern California | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 296 |
| as a starter | 292 |
| recovered fumbles | 10 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Bruce Rankin Matthews (born August 8, 1961 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a former American football player at the position of offensive guard, center and tackle. He played for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Oilers and Tennessee Titans in the National Football League (NFL) from 1983 to 2001. He was voted to the Pro Bowl 14 times during his 19-year professional career, during which he never missed a game, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but never won the Super Bowl.[1]
College career
Matthews spent his college days at the University of Southern California, where he played all three offensive line positions. He was an All-American selection his senior year.
Professional Time
In 1983, Matthews was selected ninth overall in the NFL Draft in the first round by the then Houston Oilers. Here he played his entire professional career. He played all five positions on the offensive line (99 games at left guard, 67 at right guard, 87 at center, 22 at right tackle and 17 at left tackle).
During this time he was instrumental in the success of Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, Eddie George and Steve McNair among others
Matthews held the NFL record with 292 starts until Brett Favre set it in 2010.[2] He did not miss a game due to injury during his entire NFL career.[3]
In all, he was named to the All-Pro team ten times and to the Pro Bowl 14 consecutive times from 1987 until his career ended in 2001, a record he holds along with Merlin Olsen. He was named Offensive Lineman of the Year three times and was selected to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team as a guard. In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His jersey number, 74, is no longer issued by the Tennessee Titans.
After the professional career
Matthews has served as an assistant coach with the Houston Texans since 2009.
Personal
Several members of Matthews’ family are also successful football players. His older brother Clay Matthews, Jr. also played 19 years in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. Their father William Clay Matthews, Sr. played several seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s. Three of Bruce Matthews’ five sons, including Jake Matthews of the Atlanta Falcons, play successful football. He is also the uncle of William Clay Matthews III, who played for the Los Angeles Rams.
Web links
Individual references
- ↑ Bleacherreport
- ↑ Career on pro-football-reference.com (retrieved April 12, 2010)
- ↑ No injuries(memento of May 4, 2009, in the Internet Archive) on Usclegends.org (retrieved April 12, 2010)
| Personal data | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthews, Bruce |
| ALTERNATE NAMES | Matthews, Bruce Rankin (full name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 8. August 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Raleigh, North Carolina |
- Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- US-American
- Born 1961
- Man
- American football player (Houston Oilers)
- American football player (Tennessee Oilers)
- American football player (Tennessee Titans)