 Spaeth with theChicago Bears in 2011 | |||||||||
| No. 89, 87 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1983-11-24)November 24, 1983 (age 42) St. Michael, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | St. Michael-Albertville | ||||||||
| College | Minnesota (2002–2006) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2007: 3rd round, 77th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Matt Spaeth (born November 24, 1983) is an American former professionalfootball player who was atight end in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMinnesota Golden Gophers, where he was twice named first-teamAll-Big Ten, once a first-teamAll-American, and the 2006 winner of theJohn Mackey Award.
He was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the2007 NFL draft and played seven seasons for them, becoming aSuper Bowl champion when the Steelers defeated theArizona Cardinals inSuper Bowl XLIII. He also played two seasons for theChicago Bears.
Spaeth graduated from St. Michael-Albertville, in St. Michael, Minnesota in 2002, where he played both football and basketball. St. Michael was in the Wright County Conference at the time. Spaeth holds multiple records at St. Michael-Albertville in both sports. As a three-year starter in basketball he set records for most rebounds in a game (23), most steals in a game (8), most points in a career (1359), and most career rebounds (804).
Spaeth played college football atMinnesota. In 2003, Matt started the season as a reserve, but was inserted into the starting lineup when starterBen Utecht got injured. Spaeth went on to start 10 games where he had 12 catches for 98 yards and was named to theSportingnews.com andRivals.com Freshman All-American team.
In 2004, Matt increased his production to 24 catches for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns. He started every game was an honorable mention pick to theAll-Big Ten Team.
In 2005, Spaeth again started every game, hauling in 26 catches for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was named to the All-Big Ten First-team.
2006 was the most productive season of Spaeth's career. Despite playing the last month of the season with aseparated shoulder, Matt went on to get career highs in receptions (47) & receiving yards (564), and tied his career high in touchdowns (4). For the second consecutive year, he was named to the All-Big Ten First-team, and in December was named a First-teamAll American. He was also awarded the team'sBronko Nagurski Most Valuable Player Award. Spaeth did not play in theInsight Bowl on December 29 because of an injured shoulder.[1]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft7+1⁄8 in (2.01 m) | 270 lb (122 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.83 s | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[2][3] | ||||||||||||
Spaeth was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the2007 NFL draft.[4] Spaeth started the season primarily on the goal line package and special teams. Spaeth's first catch in the NFL was a touchdown – catching a 5-yard pass fromBen Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 34–7 win over theCleveland Browns on September 9, 2007. When second-string tight endJerame Tuman was placed on injured reserve, Spaeth was promoted to second-string.
Spaeth caught 5 passes for 34 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 2007 NFL season.
In the 2008 season, Spaeth added 17 more catches to his career and 136 yards during the regular season. Along with both an increase in catches and yards, Spaeth also played inSuper Bowl XLIII[5] where he had one catch for six yards.[6] The Steelers went on to win 27–23 over theArizona Cardinals.[7] In 2009, Spaeth had 5 catches for 25 yards and 1 touchdown.[8]
At the end of the 2010 season, Spaeth and the Steelers appeared inSuper Bowl XLV against theGreen Bay Packers. He had one reception for nine yards in the 31–25 loss.[9]
As an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season, Spaeth signed with theChicago Bears, who then traded away tight endGreg Olsen.[10][11] Spaeth scored his first touchdown catch with the Bears in Week 1 against theAtlanta Falcons on a one-yard pass fromJay Cutler.[12]
On March 13, 2013, Spaeth was released by the Bears,[13] being the last Bear to wear number 89, which was retired on December 8, 2013, in honor of tight end andSuper Bowl XX winning head coachMike Ditka.
On March 15, 2013, Spaeth re-signed with the Steelers.[14]
On November 2, 2014, he caughtBen Roethlisberger's record-breaking 12th touchdown in two games.[15]
On March 9, 2015, it was announced that the Steelers had signed Spaeth to a two-year contract extension.[16]
On July 21, 2016, the Steelers released Spaeth due to a failed physical.[17]
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | PIT | 14 | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 13T | 3 |
| 2008 | PIT | 16 | 17 | 136 | 8.0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2009 | PIT | 16 | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 9 | 1 |
| 2010 | PIT | 14 | 9 | 80 | 8.9 | 13 | 1 |
| 2011 | CHI | 15 | 7 | 50 | 7.1 | 13 | 2 |
| 2012 | CHI | 16 | 6 | 28 | 4.7 | 13T | 1 |
| 2013 | PIT | 4 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11T | 1 |
| 2014 | PIT | 15 | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 33T | 1 |
| 2015 | PIT | 13 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career | 123 | 55 | 420 | 7.6 | 33T | 10 | |
Media related toMatt Spaeth at Wikimedia Commons