 Matthews with theHouston Oilers in 1984 | |||||||||||
| No. 74 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Offensive tackle,guard,center,long snapper | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1961-08-08)August 8, 1961 (age 64) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Arcadia (Arcadia, California) | ||||||||||
| College | USC (1979–1982) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Bruce Rankin Matthews (born August 8, 1961) is an American former professionalfootballguard,center,offensive tackle, andlong snapper who played 19 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He spent his entire career playing for theHouston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans. Highly versatile, Matthews played every position on the offensive line throughout his NFL career, starting in 99 games as aleft guard, 87 as a center, 67 as aright guard, 22 as aright tackle, 17 as aleft tackle, and was thelong snapper on field goals, extra points, and punts. Having never missed a game due to injury, Matthews' 293 NFL games started is the third most of all time, behind quarterbacksBrett Favre andTom Brady.
Matthews playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans, where he was recognized as a consensusAll-American as a senior. Matthews was selected in the first round (ninth overall) of the1983 NFL draft by theHouston Oilers and was a 14-timePro Bowl selection, tied for the second-most in NFL history, and a nine-time first-teamAll-Pro. Matthews was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and his number 74 jersey isretired by the Titans.
After retiring as a player, Matthews served as an assistant coach for theHouston Texans and Titans. A member of theMatthews family of football players, he is the brother of linebackerClay Matthews Jr.; father of centerKevin Matthews and tackleJake Matthews; and uncle of linebackerClay Matthews III and linebackerCasey Matthews.
Bruce Rankin Matthews was born on August 8, 1961, inRaleigh, North Carolina, toClay Matthews Sr. and Daisy Matthews. Clay Sr. was adefensive lineman for theSan Francisco 49ers in the 1950s.[1] The Matthews family moved from a Chicago suburb toArcadia, California, when Bruce was entering the 10th grade. He played football atArcadia High School and was an immediate football standout on the offensive and defensive line, along with doing well in high school wrestling. As a junior in 1977, Matthews was named to the All-California Interscholastic Federation third-team.[2] As a senior, he played in the Shrine All-Star Football Classic alongsideJohn Elway.[3] Arcadia High later retired Matthews’ No. 72 jersey.[4]
Matthews attended theUniversity of Southern California, where he played all offensive line positions at various times for theUSC Trojans football team. As a senior in 1982, Matthews was shifted from weakside to strongside guard to replace departingRoy Foster as the principal blocker in the "Student Body Right" play.[5] Matthews was named to the first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference team after his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, Matthews earned consensusAll-America honors and won theMorris Trophy, which is awarded to the best lineman in the conference.[6]
Matthews is considered to be one of the most versatile offensive linemen to play in the NFL.[7][8] He started in 99 games as a left guard, 67 as a right guard, 87 as a center, 22 as a right tackle, 17 as a left tackle, and was thelong snapper on field goals, extra points, and punts.[9] Matthews was selected to 14 Pro Bowls, which tied a league record set byMerlin Olsen at the time.[4] Matthews was also named a first-team All-Pro nine times and an All-American Football Conference selection 12 times.[10] An extremely durable player, he retired after the 2001 season having played more games (296) than any NFL player, excluding kickers and punters,[a] and played in more seasons (19) than any offensive lineman. Matthews never missed a game due to injury, andstarted 229 consecutive games. Matthews is the only player who played against theBaltimore Colts in their last game atMemorial Stadium in 1983 and against theBaltimore Ravens in their last game at Memorial Stadium in 1997.[11]
TheHouston Oilers drafted Matthews with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the1983 NFL draft. During his first two seasons, Matthews blocked for future Hall of Fame running backEarl Campbell. As a rookie, Matthews played guard and was named to thePFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.[12] Before his second season, Matthews was moved from right guard tocenter,[13] snapping to quarterbackWarren Moon. However, Matthews played multiple positions that season due to injuries on the offensive line; at one point he played center, guard, and tackle in successive weeks.[14] In 1985 and 1986, Matthews alternated between right and left tackle.[15]
Matthews missed the first eight games of the 1987 season, as held out due to a contract dispute.[16] When he returned, Matthews was moved back to right guard. He remained at the right guard position in 1988, 1989, and 1990, being named to the Pro Bowl each season. Matthews also earned first-team All-Pro recognition each year from theAssociated Press (AP),Pro Football Weekly, andThe Sporting News.[15] He thrived in therun and shoot offensive scheme adopted by the Oilers around this time, which required linemen to be exceptionally agile.[17] The holes Matthews opened up helped running backMike Rozier to consecutive Pro Bowls in 1987 and 1988.[18]
The Oilers placed Matthews at center for the final game of the 1990 season in an effort to bolster the team's running game. Of the move, Matthews said, "I'd like to stay at guard, but forces greater than myself make these adjustments."[19] Behind blocking by Matthews and fellow future Hall of Fame guardMike Munchak, Oilers quarterbackWarren Moon led the league in passing yards in 1990 and 1991, and running backLorenzo White was a 1992 Pro Bowl selection.[20] Matthews remained the team's center through the 1994 season, being named to the Pro Bowl each year.[15]
Prior to the 1995 season, Matthews signed a four-year, $10.3 million contract extension with the Oilers.[21] That same year, the Oilers signed free agent centerMark Stepnoski, and Matthews moved to left guard as a result.[22] He spent the majority of the rest of his career at the position, occasionally filling in for injured players along the offensive line. During this time, the Oilers left Houston for Tennessee after the 1996 season. Matthews' blocking helped running backEddie George to four straight Pro Bowl seasons.[23]
In 1999, at age 37, Matthews signed another four-year contract to remain with the Oilers.[24] That season, the Oilers rebranded as theTennessee Titans. The team won 13 games, plus three more in the playoffs before losing to theSt. Louis Rams inSuper Bowl XXXIV.[25]
Matthews retired from football in July 2002 at age 40.[26]
On February 27, 2009, Matthews returned to Houston where he was signed on as an offensive assistant with theHouston Texans after volunteer coaching at his children's high school,Elkins High School.
On February 9, 2011, Matthews was hired as offensive line coach by new Tennessee Titans head coachMike Munchak. Both were Hall of Fame linemen for the Houston Oilers. Regarding his new job, Matthews stated, "For me this is an opportunity of a lifetime. It is such a unique opportunity to work with Mike because I think he will do a great job. It is just one of those things I couldn't pass up."[27]
After the Titans finished the 2013 season with a 7–9 record,general managerRuston Webster and president/CEO Tommy Smith met with Munchak and gave him the option to fire a large contingent of assistant coaches, which included Matthews, in exchange for an extension and a raise, or lose his job as head coach. Munchak was not willing to fire everyone they were ordering him to fire, so Munchak parted ways with the Titans, along with Matthews and the other assistant coaches they wanted him to fire.[28]
In his first year of eligibility, Matthews was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2007. He was inducted during the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 4, 2007, with the unveiling of his bust, sculpted byScott Myers. Matthews was the first player from the Titans to be given this honor since the relocation from Houston. He was the fifth player from the 1983 NFL draft class to be enshrined, joiningDan Marino,Eric Dickerson,John Elway, andJim Kelly;Darrell Green,Richard Dent, andJim Covert later became the sixth, seventh, and eighth members.[29] Matthews was selected as a guard on theNFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.[30] In 2010, he was ranked 78th onThe Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players by theNFL Network.[17] AtSuper Bowl LV, Matthews was named to theNFL 100 All-Time Team as one of the top 100 players of the first 100 years of the NFL.[31]
Matthews comes from a football family. A devoutChristian as evidenced in his Hall of Fame Speech, Matthews is the son ofClay Matthews Sr., who played in the NFL in the 1950s. His brother,Clay Jr., also played 19 seasons in the NFL. Bruce is the uncle of linebackerClay Matthews III, former NFL linebackerCasey Matthews, and Kyle Matthews of theUSC Trojans. Bruce and his wife, Carrie, have seven children: Steven,Kevin, Marilyn,Jake, Mike, Luke, and Gwen.[1] Kevin played center for theTexas A&M Aggies until the 2009 football season and then played in the NFL for five years as a member of the Titans andCarolina Panthers. Jake played offensive tackle for Texas A&M and is currently the starting left tackle of theAtlanta Falcons. Mike played on the offensive line for Texas A&M, where he was the starting center.[32] His youngest son, Luke, played on the offensive line for Texas A&M, but had to medically retire due to injuries and now works in real estate.[33][34] Matthews is also the uncle oftight endTroy Niklas by way of Carrie's sister.[35]
Media related toBruce Matthews (American football) at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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