Matt Suhey

Last updated

Matt Suhey
No. 26
Position: Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1958-07-07) July 7, 1958 (age 65)
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school: State College (PA) Area
College: Penn State
NFL Draft: 1980  / Round: 2 / Pick: 46
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:148
Games started:100
Rushing yards:2,946
Average:3.6
Touchdowns:20
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Matthew Jerome Suhey (born July 7, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears. He 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. [1] [2]

Before his NFL career, Suhey played college football at Penn State from 1976 to 1979, rushing for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also catching 39 passes for 328 yards and 2 scores, along with 21 punt returns for 252 yards and another touchdown. [3]

Suhey was the lead blocker and friend of Walter Payton. He is 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. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XX</span> 1986 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1985 season. The Bears defeated the Patriots by the score of 46–10, capturing their first NFL championship since 1963, three years prior to the birth of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XX was played on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Perry (American football)</span> American football player (born 1962)

William Anthony Perry is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "the Refrigerator", he played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Perry gained popularity during his rookie season as a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. During the season, Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg). He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Dorsett</span> American football player (born 1954)

Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco Harris</span> American football player (1950–2022)

Franco Harris was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Penn State University and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft. Harris spent his first 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, earning nine Pro Bowl selections, and was a member of the Seattle Seahawks in his last.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Craig (American football)</span> American football player (born 1960)

Roger Timothy Craig is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Craig went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey are the only other players to have accomplished that feat. He currently works as the VP of Business Development at TIBCO Software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurman Thomas</span> American football player (born 1966)

Thurman Lee Thomas is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. Thomas spent his final NFL year as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2000.

Charles Neal Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Anderson played college football for the University of Florida. He was a first-round pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, and he played professionally for the Chicago Bears of the NFL.

The halfback option play is an unorthodox play in American and Canadian football. It resembles a normal running play, but the running back has the option to throw a pass to another eligible receiver before crossing the line of scrimmage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Casares</span> American football player (1931–2013)

Richard Jose Casares was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for twelve seasons during the 1950s and 1960s. Casares played college football for the University of Florida, where he was standout fullback and kicker. Casares played professionally for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins of the NFL, and was a member of the expansion Miami Dolphins of the AFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Peterson (American football, born 1979)</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Adrian Nicholas Peterson is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, playing eight seasons for Chicago. Then he played for the Virginia Destroyers in the UFL. He played college football for the Georgia Southern Eagles, where he set numerous school, Southern Conference, and NCAA Division I-AA records, as well as winning two I-AA National Championships and receiving the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding player in I-AA football. He is currently serving as the director of student-athlete development for Georgia Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerson Boozer</span> American football player (born 1943)

Emerson Boozer is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a running back for the New York Jets in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). In the last year of separate drafts by the AFL and the NFL, Boozer signed with the AFL's Jets, rather than with an NFL team. He was a member of the Jets team that defeated the NFL's champion Baltimore Colts, 16–7, in Super Bowl III. Before joining the AFL, Boozer played college football at the Maryland State College, which is now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kuhn</span> American football player (born 1982)

John Allen Kuhn is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Shippensburg University, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Kuhn earned a Super Bowl ring in his first year with the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks, and another as a member of the Green Bay Packers, against his former team, five years later in Super Bowl XLV. He was named to three Pro Bowls, all as a Packer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Higgins (American football)</span> American football player and coach (1893–1969)

Robert A. Higgins was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he was a three-time All-America, and then with professionally with the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 and 1921. Higgins served as the head football coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Washington University in St. Louis (1925–1927), and Pennsylvania State University, compiling a career college football record of 123–83–16. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Payton</span> American football player (1953–1999)

Walter Jerry Payton was an American professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "Sweetness", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Payton is remembered as a prolific rusher, once holding records for career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and many other categories. Payton also retired with the most receptions by a non-receiver, and he had eight career touchdown passes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Chicago Bears season</span> NFL team season (won Super Bowl)

The 1985 season was the Chicago Bears' 66th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Mike Ditka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Roland</span> American football player and coach (born 1943)

Johnny Earl Roland is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a running back for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1972 and the New York Giants in 1973. Roland played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors as a defensive back in 1965. After his playing days, he served as an assistant coach with the number of NFL teams and at the University of Notre Dame. Roland was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1998.

Roland Harper is a former professional American football player who played running back for eight seasons for the Chicago Bears. He was selected in the 17th and final round of the 1975 draft from Louisiana Tech. He was a starting fullback known in his playing days as a punishing blocker who opened holes in opposing defenses for star halfback Walter Payton. Harper ranks sixth on the Bears' all-time rushing list with 3,044 yards and 15 TDs on 757 carries in seven seasons. Harper was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Matt Bernstein is a former American football fullback. He played college football at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He attempted to play in the Arena Football League (AFL) after a stint in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He has two brothers, Alex and Ben.

Steven Joseph Suhey was a former professional American football player, playing guard for two seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was an All-American at Penn State. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985. His son Matt Suhey also played at Penn State and in the NFL.

The 1977 Fiesta Bowl was the seventh edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday, December 25. Part of the 1977–78 bowl game season, it matched the eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and the #15 Arizona State Sun Devils of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Favored Penn State took an early lead and won 42–30 on the Sun Devils' home field.

References

  1. Archived February 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl". Los Angeles Times. 1986-01-27. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  3. "Matt Suhey College Stats".
  4. "Ginger Suhey, Matriarch of Penn State First Family of Football, Dies". 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2014-06-01.