 Matthews with theCleveland Browns in 1984 | |||||||||||
| No. 57 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1956-03-15)March 15, 1956 (age 69) Palo Alto, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | New Trier(Winnetka, Illinois) | ||||||||||
| College | USC | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1978: 1st round, 12th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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William Clay Matthews Jr. (born March 15, 1956) is an American former professionalfootballlinebacker who played 19 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily for theCleveland Browns. He playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans and was selected in the first round of the1978 NFL draft by the Browns. Matthews played in 278 games, which initially ranked him at number 17 among most games played[citation needed] (currently at number 25, seeList of NFL players by games played).[1]Matthews is the father ofClay Matthews III, anAll-Pro linebacker and Super Bowl Champion, andCasey Matthews, a former American football linebacker; brother ofHall of Fame offensive linemanBruce Matthews.
Matthews was born into a football family. His father,Clay Matthews Sr., played for the NFL in the 1950s. In 1974, Matthews graduated from New Trier East High School in Winnetka, Illinois. He and his younger brother,Bruce, both attended college at theUniversity of Southern California, where both played on theUSC Trojans football team.
Matthews was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 12th pick in the first round of the1978 NFL draft. He was a four-time selection for thePro Bowl with the Browns and was a cornerstone of the defense for well over a decade. In 1984, Matthews recorded 12.0 sacks. He was present at some infamous Browns playoff losses during the 1980s, known asRed Right 88 (1981),The Drive (1987), andThe Fumble (1988), which stopped those Browns teams from potentially advancing to theSuper Bowl. One of his most memorable moments as a Brown was in a playoff game against the Bills on January 6, 1990. With only seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Bills at the Browns' 11-yard line, Matthews intercepted a pass (at the one-yard line) thrown by Bills quarterbackJim Kelly to seal a Cleveland victory. After the 1993 season, Matthews signed with theAtlanta Falcons. In 1995, at the age of 39, Matthews started all 16 games for the Falcons and set a record as the oldest player to record a sack at the age of 40 years, 282 days.
Matthews was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week twice on the Cleveland Browns (Week 12, 1984 and Week 9, 1991). Matthews and his son,Clay III, are the only father-son tandem to be named Defensive Player of the Week in the NFL.[2]
In 2022, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Matthews to thePFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2022.[3]
Matthews resides inAgoura Hills, California. He serves as defensive coordinator atOaks Christian High School, a co-ed private school inWestlake Village, California which his sonCasey attended. Matthews was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, along with his brother Bruce. Matthews also opened a Pontiac car dealership in the Cleveland suburb ofEuclid in 1992; it currently operates under new ownership[vague] as Sims Buick GMC.
Matthews and his brother Bruce competed with members of their family on the popular TVgame showFamily Feud, hosted byRichard Dawson. The Matthews family won the game, with Matthews being one of two family members to play in the final round. They ended the game with 41 points total but did not take the $10,000 grand prize.
In 2014, Matthews was named Director of Football Operations at Carter High School (Tennessee), where he once served as an assistant coach.[4]
Matthews is married to Leslie Matthews[vague]. They have five children: Jennifer, Kyle, Brian,Clay III, andCasey.[5] Clay III and Kyle played football at USC, while Casey was a linebacker for theOregon Ducks football at theUniversity of Oregon. Clay III was drafted by theGreen Bay Packers in the2009 NFL draft, while Casey was drafted by thePhiladelphia Eagles in the2011 NFL draft.[6]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 1978 | CLE | 15 | 2 | 34 | – | – | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 103 | – | – | 2.0 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1980 | CLE | 14 | 13 | 83 | – | – | 5.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 128 | – | – | 5.0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1982 | CLE | 2 | 1 | 11 | – | – | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 106 | – | – | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1984 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 126 | – | – | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1985 | CLE | 14 | 14 | 88 | – | – | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 89 | – | – | 1.0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | CLE | 12 | 12 | 72 | – | – | 2.5 | 3 | 62 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1988 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 101 | – | – | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1989 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 113 | – | – | 4.0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1990 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 102 | – | – | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991 | CLE | 15 | 15 | 80 | – | – | 6.5 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1992 | CLE | 16 | 16 | 111 | – | – | 9.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1993 | CLE | 16 | 15 | 83 | – | – | 5.5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | ATL | 15 | 15 | 90 | 71 | 19 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 63 | 49 | 14 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | ATL | 15 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | 278 | 248 | 1,595 | 131 | 34 | 82.5 | 16 | 206 | 1 | 27 | 14 | |
Media related toClay Matthews Jr. at Wikimedia Commons`