 Neal with the New England Patriots in 2009 | |||||||
| No. 61 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1976-10-09)October 9, 1976 (age 49) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | San Diego (CA) | ||||||
| College | Cal State Bakersfield | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2001: undrafted | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sfreestyle wrestling | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 1999 Ankara | 130 kg |
| Pan American Games | ||
| 1999 Winnipeg | 130 kg |
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| RepresentingtheCal State Bakersfield Roadrunners | ||
| NCAA Division I Championships | ||
| 1998 Cleveland | 275 lb |
| 1999 State College | 285 lb |
 | 1997 Cedar Falls | 275 lb |
Stephen "Coach" Matthew Neal (born October 9, 1976) is an American former professionalfootballguard who played his entire career for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL). He is a formerworld champion infreestyle wrestling and two-timeNCAA national championwrestler atCal State-Bakersfield. He was signed by the Patriots as anundrafted free agent in 2001, and won threeSuper Bowl rings with the team. He is one of a handful of NFL players who did not playcollege football.
Neal attendedSan Diego High School inSan Diego,California[1][2] and was aletterman infootball,wrestling,swimming,tennis, andtrack and field. In wrestling, as a senior, he posted a 45–2 record and placed fourth at theCalifornia State Wrestling Tournament in the 189-pound weight class. In 1995, he wrestled and defeated future NFLrunning backRicky Williams.
Neal attendedCalifornia State University, Bakersfield and became one of the topwrestlers in the nation, compiling a 156–10 record with fourAll-American seasons. He placed fourth inNCAA Division I as a freshman and second as a sophomore before winning titles his junior and senior year. In 1997, in his sophomore season, Neal lost to two time heavyweight champKerry McCoy. The 1998 campaign saw Neal win his first NCAA heavyweight title 20–5 over Trent Hynek of Iowa State. His final title in 1999 came via a win over future NCAA wrestling champion,WWE champion, andUFC heavyweight championBrock Lesnar (in March 2011, Lesnar toldOpie & Anthony that his loss to Neal still sticks with him). In 1999, Neal won theDan Hodge Award following a year in which he won the U.S.Freestyle Championship, thePan-American Games title and the1999 World Wrestling Championships at286 pounds.[3][4] In 1999, he won theFILA outstanding wrestler award, an honor given to the best wrestler in the world. Also for that year's performance, he received theWade Schalles Award for best collegiate pinner.[5] His 1999 season led up to the2000 Summer Olympics trials whereKerry McCoy edged him for the trip toSydney, Australia. After the trials, Neal retired from wrestling.
Neal setPac-10 Conference records by finishing 34–0 in conference competition, while becoming the conference's first four-time winner in the same weight class, and second four-time winner ever. He finished his college career as Cal State-Bakersfield's career record holder in wins (156) and also set school records for pins in a season (31) and a career (71).
While at Cal State-Bakersfield, Neal was a four-timeAcademic All-American and a four-time Pac-10 Academic All-Conference selection.
In 2012, Neal was inducted into theNational Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[6]
Despite not playing football in college,[7] Neal was signed by theNew England Patriots on July 23, 2001, as anundrafted free agent. He was waived by the Patriots on August 26, 2001.
ThePhiladelphia Eagles signed Neal to theirpractice squad on September 4, 2001.
The Patriots re-signed Neal off the Eagles' practice squad on December 12, 2001, and he was inactive for the final three games of his2001 rookie season, as well as theplayoffs andSuper Bowl XXXVI.
In2002, Neal made the Patriots' 53-man roster out oftraining camp and spent the first four games of the season inactive before making his NFL debut as a reserve in Week 5. The next week against theGreen Bay Packers, Neal made his first career start at guard, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the game and was placed oninjured reserve on October 23, 2002. The shoulder injury caused Neal to miss the entire2003 season as well, after being placed on thePhysically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season.
After playing in two games as a reserve to start the2004 season, Neal went on to start the final 14 games of the season, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl, earning his thirdSuper Bowl ring with the team by winningSuper Bowl XXXIX. Neal started all 16 games for the Patriots in2005, and re-signed with the team after testing thefree agent market following the season.
Neal started 13 games in2006 at right guard, missing three games with a shoulder injury. He would return in2007 to play and start in only eight games due to injury, but started all threeplayoff games, includingSuper Bowl XLII.
After beginning the2008 season on the PUP list with a shoulder injury, Neal returned to play in the final 11 games of the season, starting the final nine games. In2009, Neal missed time with the shoulder injury again, but played in and started 12 games.
In March 2010, Neal was re-signed to a two-year contract.[8] Neal then played in the first eight games of the2010 season before being placed on injured reserve with the shoulder injury on December 2, 2010.
Neal retired on March 2, 2011.[9]
His cousin,Pete Thomas, also played football.[10]
