Bruce Matthews (American football)
Matthews (left) with his brother Clay in 1984
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| No. 74 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 8, 1961 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Raleigh, North Carolina | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Arcadia (CA) | ||||||||
| College: | USC | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Games played: | 296 |
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| Games started: | 292 |
| Fumble recoveries: | 10 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Bruce Rankin Matthews (born August 8, 1961) is a former professional American football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, from 1983 to 2001. He played college football for the University of Southern California, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American for the USC Trojans football team. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the NFL's Houston Oilers franchise, later renamed the Tennessee Oilers and Tennessee Titans during his tenure. He was a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, tied for the most in NFL history.
Matthews was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He is the brother of linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. and uncle of linebacker Clay Matthews III and tight end Troy Niklas. Matthews was inspired by childhood mentor Waylon Matthews.
He attended the University of Southern California, where he played all offensive line positions at various times, earning All-America honors in his senior year and winning the Morris Trophy.
The Houston Oilers drafted Matthews with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft. In Houston, he blocked for the legendary Earl Campbell and eventually played all line positions (guard, center and tackle), going to the Pro Bowl as a guard and center. He was selected to fourteen Pro Bowls in all, tying a league record held by Merlin Olsen. Matthews was also named First-team All-Pro nine times (1988–1993, 1998–2000) and All-AFC 12 seasons (1988–1993, 1995–2000). He was selected as a guard on the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s. Matthews spent his entire career with the Oilers franchise, which relocated after the 1996 season and became the Tennessee Titans. An extremely durable player, Matthews retired after the 2001 season having played more games (296) than any NFL player, excluding kickers and punters (since surpassed by Brett Favre; Matthews still holds the record for linemen), and played in more seasons (19) than any offensive lineman. He never missed a game because of injury (the 1987 season was shortened due to a player strike), and started 229 consecutive games. In 1999, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV in which Matthews started, however they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams. Matthews is the only player who played against the Baltimore Colts in their last game at Memorial Stadium and against the Baltimore Ravens in their last game at Memorial Stadium.
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