Tom Matte obit

Tom Matte dies at 82

 

He was not on the list.

Tom Matte, who spent his entire 12-year NFL career as a gritty running back for the Baltimore Colts -- except for a star turn for three games in 1965 as their quarterback -- has died. He was 82.

The Baltimore Ravens confirmed Matte's death during coach John Harbaugh's news conference Wednesday. No details were provided.

"I just want to start off with condolences to the Matte family. Tom Matte passed away," Harbaugh said. "We have a special bond. My mom and Tom Matte went to high school together."

After scoring three touchdowns to carry Baltimore past Cleveland in the 1968 NFL championship game, Matte became the first player to top the 100-yard rushing mark in a Super Bowl, totaling 116 yards in a huge upset loss to Joe Namath and the New York Jets. He earned a championship ring with the 1970 Colts despite being sidelined with an injury for most of the season.

Although he rushed for 4,646 yards, caught 249 passes for 2,869 yards and scored 57 touchdowns, Matte spent most of his time with the Colts operating in the shadow of future Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry and John Mackey , as well as other probowl players such as Dick Szymanski, Lou Michaels, David Lee, Timmy Brown, Preston Pearson, Bubba Smith, Mike Curtis, Jimmy Orr and Fred Miller.

"I was sort of the jack of all trades and master of none," Matte said. "I wasn't the superstar by no means."

Matte was drafted seventh overall by Baltimore in 1961 after showing more prowess at running than passing as Ohio State's quarterback in the single-wing offense run by coach Woody Hayes. The Colts had Unitas throwing the ball, so Matte's job during his first five NFL seasons mostly involved taking handoffs and catching short passes.

Matte, nicknamed "Garbage Can", spent his 12-year pro career with the Baltimore Colts where he posted career stats of 4,646 rushing yards, 249 receptions for 2,869 yards, 1,367 yards returning kickoffs, and 57 touchdowns (45 rushing, 12 receiving). Late in the 1965 season, Matte also memorably filled in as an emergency quarterback when Colts QBs Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo went down with season-ending injuries in consecutive home losses to the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively.[4] For the Colts' regular-season finale (a 20-17 win) against the Los Angeles Rams and the following weekend's one-game playoff at Green Bay (a 13-10 overtime loss), Colts head coach Don Shula put a list of plays on a wristband that Matte wore. The wristband is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Matte would bloom late in his career. In 1968, he earned his first Pro Bowl honor after rushing for 662 yards on 183 carries for nine touchdowns. He also caught 25 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. That season, the Colts advanced all the way to the NFL Championship Game. While he did have a quiet game against the Minnesota Vikings in the first playoff game (a 24-14 win where he ran for 31 yards), he came alive in the 1968 NFL Championship Game. Avenging his prior quiet games, he rushed for 88 yards on 17 carries for three touchdowns to galvanize the Colts to a 34-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns, avenging their loss in the title game four years prior. It won Matte a cover on the January 6, 1969 cover of Sports Illustrated, taken after he had scored his third touchdown of the afternoon in the NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. The Colts were the winners of the penultimate NFL title game and advanced to Super Bowl III. Matte would rush for 116 yards on 11 carries while catching two passes for thirty yards; he set the record for highest per-carry rushing average in a Super Bowl game with 10.5, with his biggest run being a run of 58 yards that was stopped by his former teammate Johnny Sample. However, Matte would fail to reach the end zone and a fumble to start the second half only made the Colts more frustrated on their way to a 16-7 loss. The following year was even better, as he rushed for a career high 909 yards on 235 carries with a league-high 11 touchdowns while adding 43 catches for 513 yards for two touchdowns. His total touches, yards from scrimmage (1,422) and touchdowns were all league highs.

Matte was injured in the first game of the 1970 season against the San Diego Chargers and therefore did not play when the Colts returned to Super Bowl V at the end of that season and beat the Dallas Cowboys. However, he was awarded a Super Bowl ring. Matte returned for one last fresh run with the 1971 season, playing in all 14 games and rushing for 607 yards on 173 carries for eight touchdowns while catching 29 passes for 239 yards. The Colts made a run to the AFC title game once again. Matte would have his last significant playtime with the game against Cleveland, rushing 16 times for 26 yards while catching three passes for 22 yards as the Colts won 20-3. In the AFC Championship versus the Miami Dolphins, he made just one catch for six yards as the Colts lost 21-0.

Matte's teammate with the Colts, Dick Szymanski, died just four days earlier. Some of his former teammates included Rick Volk, Johnny Unitas, Lenny Morre, Raymond Berry, Bobby Boyd, Art Donovan, Billy Ray Smith, Raymond Berry, Bobby Boyd, Lenny Lyles, Jim Parker, Ordell Braase, Gino Marchetti, Andy Nelson, Weeb Ewbank, Bill Saul, Dan Sullivan, Jackie Burkett, Carroll Rosenbloom, John Mackey and Jimmy Orr.