Matt Suhey obit

 

Matt Suhey, fullback on legendary 1985 Bears championship team, dies

Suhey, who primarily played fullback, was the lead blocker for Hall of Famer Walter Payton and scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl XX

He was not on the list.

Matt Suhey, a former Chicago Bears running back and member of the legendary 1985 Super Bowl championship team, died on Sunday, NBC Chicago confirmed.

 

He was 68 years old.

Suhey, who primarily played fullback, was the lead blocker for Hall of Famer Walter Payton and scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl XX in January 1986, helping the Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots.

Suhey spent his whole 10-year NFL career with the Bears and played college football at Penn State University.

He was an American professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Suhey won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Bears while scoring a touchdown in the game and was named to the Pennsylvania Football All-Century Team.

Before his NFL career, Suhey played college football at Pennsylvania State University from 1976 to 1979, rushing for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also catching 39 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, along with 21 punt returns for 252 yards and another touchdown.

Suhey was the lead blocker and friend of Walter Payton. He was also a close friend of the Payton family, and the executor of the Payton estate since the death of Walter. Although Suhey was never a leader in any statistical category, he was a fan favorite for his personality and blocking ability.

Matt Suhey is one of three sons of College Football Hall of Fame guard Steve Suhey to letter at Penn State University and a grandson of Hall of Fame Penn State player and coach Bob Higgins. His son, Joe Suhey, was a fullback at Penn State from 2007 to 2011. The Higgins–Suhey family is often referred to as the "first family of Penn State football" due to their affiliation with the program spanning four generations.

 

Personal information

Born    July 7, 1958

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Died    September 6, 2026 (aged 68)

Listed height   5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)

Listed weight  217 lb (98 kg)

Career information

High school     State College Area (State College, Pennsylvania)

College            Penn State (1976–1979)

NFL draft        1980: 2nd round, 46th overall pick

Career history

Chicago Bears (1980–1989)

Awards and highlights

Super Bowl champion (XX)

100 greatest Bears of All-Time

2× First-team All-East (1978, 1979)

Career NFL statistics

Rushing yards 2,946

Rushing average          3.6

Rushing touchdowns   20