Matt Snell obit

Jets legend who helped team win its only Super Bowl has died

 He was not on the list.

Matt Snell, the Jets running back who scored the only touchdown in their lone Super Bowl victory, has died at 84.

According to ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini, Snell died Wednesday morning on Long Island.

“Matt Snell will forever hold a special place in the history of the New York Jets,” Jets Chairman Woody Johnson said in a statement on the team’s website. “He was the embodiment of toughness, selflessness, and belief — traits that defined our organization’s proudest moments. His performance in Super Bowl III was nothing short of legendary. Against the odds, Matt set the tone with his physical running, delivering the Jets’ lone touchdown and helping secure one of the most important victories in sports history.”

A product of Ohio State, Snell had the distinction of being drafted by both the Jets and the Giants in 1964. With the AFL competing against the NFL, the Jets selected Snell with the third overall pick in the AFL draft, while the Giants selected him in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

Snell opted to play for the Jets and spent his entire nine-season career with the team, rushing for 4,285 yards and 24 touchdowns in 86 games, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He also caught 193 passes for 1,375 yards and seven touchdowns. Snell earned All-Pro honors in 1969 and was selected to three Pro Bowls.

His biggest accomplishment, however, came in Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts. Snell rushed for 121 yards on 30 carries and scored the game’s only touchdown on a 4-yard run that opened the scoring. The Jets won 16-7, claiming their first and only world championship in franchise history.

The game was significant because it proved the AFL was a viable league capable of competing with the NFL. The two leagues eventually merged in 1970.

In 2010, Snell spoke with NJ.com sports columnist Steve Politi and explained why he did not attend Jets-related functions, including anniversary ceremonies honoring the Super Bowl III champions. Snell said the Jets, under former owner Leon Hess, had promised him a job after a knee injury forced him to retire, but the team never followed through.

“I’ve got nothing to say about the Jets,” Snell said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

Snell was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2015 but did not attend.

He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Snell was Jets' owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath. Snell's 1964 signing jolted the crosstown New York Giants, who didn't draft Snell until the fourth round, and offered him a fraction of what the Jets gave him as their first-round choice.

Born to Isaac and Annie, Snell attended Carle Place High School in the one-square-mile town of Carle Place, New York, where his picture resides in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Snell played right halfback on a team that lost only two games while he started. He was awarded Newsday's Thorp Award for 1959 as the outstanding high school football player in Nassau County.

At Ohio State University, Snell was a three-year starter and a consummate team player, active on both sides of the ball. In 1961, he played right halfback, often blocking for fullback Bob Ferguson or left halfback Paul Warfield. In 1962, Snell was moved to defensive end. In 1963, Snell's senior year, he was named starting fullback, going on to rush for 491 yards and five touchdowns. At the end of his senior season, Snell was named his team's most valuable player.

Snell was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 as a defensive end.

 

Awards and highlights

Super Bowl champion (III)

AFL champion (1968)

AFL Rookie of the Year (1964)

First-team All-AFL (1969)

3× Second-team All-AFL (1964, 1965, 1968)

3× AFL All-Star (1964, 1966, 1969)

New York Jets Ring of Honor

National champion (1961)

Second-team All-Big Ten (1962)

Career NFL/AFL statistics

Rushing yards 4,287

Rush average   4.1

Receptions       193

Receiving yards          1,375

Total touchdowns        31