Houston Sports - Bruce Matthews

Bruce Matthews

Born: August 8, 1961

Sport: Football (All American, 14-time Pro Bowl, 10-time All Pro, Hall of Fame)

The Houston Texans came off their bye week today with a solid win against the Chargers, so now that the season is about halfway through I thought we should turn our attention back towards the gridiron.  Among the various teams to call Houston their home, obviously quite a few players have made an impact.  One of the very greatest to ever play their position spent his entire career with the franchise that drafted him, although that team managed to leave town before he hung up the pads.  Bruce Matthews is a member of one of the most established NFL families, with at least eight individuals across three generations making it onto a professional team.  He is indisputably the greatest of his family tree, and is among the few who can lay claim to being the greatest offensive lineman in league history.  So let's take a look at the story of the ageless, durable, and versatile Bruce Matthews.

Matthews came to Houston in the early 80s and spent his entire 19-season career with the franchise

As the youngest child of a former NFL player, Bruce Matthews was born into football.  His father, Clay Sr., had been a member of the San Francisco 49ers and was by that time a businessman on his way to raising five children with his wife, Daisy.  Young Bruce grew up hearing stories about his dad's pro career while also admiring the football exploits of his big brother, Clay Jr.  He learned lessons about honesty, character, and hard work, but it was determination that was the biggest family lesson, with dad insisting that his kids give their all and never quit anything they started.  Bruce was athletic but his football days initially had to wait, as he was too large to play Pop Warner in fourth grade.  He tried other sports like his dad had done, including baseball and wrestling, until he finally got on the football field on high school.  The Matthews family had moved several times after Bruce was born in North Carolina, and by that point they were situated close to the Rose Bowl in Arcadia, California.  Watching Clay Jr. play for USC while he attended Arcadia High School convinced Bruce that he should be a Trojan as well, which he did immediately after graduating in 1979.  On a star-studded team, Matthews was one of six offensive linemen that would eventually be first round NFL selections.  Displaying his intelligence as well as his athletic prowess, he graduated with an engineering degree while also being named an All American during his senior year.  Before staring his career, Matthews married his wife Carrie, a fellow USC graduate he had met during their sophomore year and with whom he would raise seven children.

The Houston Oilers, in the midst of a major rebuild after just one win in the strike-shortened 1982 season, took Bruce Matthews with the ninth overall pick and plugged him in immediately at right guard.  Behind him was a backfield consisting of veteran QB Archie Manning and star RB Earl Campbell, but the team as a whole was a work in progress.  Manning was traded after three games and the Oilers only won two games after starting the year 0-10, but their rookie offensive lineman made a big life change by attending a team Bible study and declaring his Christian faith.  Matthews was named to the All-Rookie Team for his first career accolade, but it turned out to be the only one his mother would live to see as she died of cancer during the offseason.  The young man was obviously crushed and found football to be his therapy.  During his second year he was shifted over to play center, snapping the ball to newly-acquired QB Warren Moon.  Progress for the team was slow as the win total gradually improved to three in 1984, five in 1985 and 1986, and finally reached a winning season with a 9-6 record in 1987.  Injuries and need caused Matthews to bounce around the offensive line as he played all five positions during those formative years, but in 1987 he found a home at right guard for a while.  In 1988 he earned his first Pro Bowl nod at the position as well as first team All Pro recognition, and then repeated the achievement each of the next two years as the Oilers opened up their run-and-shoot offense under head coaches Jerry Glanville and Jack Pardee.  Bruce and Clay Jr. became the first set of brothers to play together in a Pro Bowl, doing so in both 1989 and 1990.  After a successful 1990 season, Pardee shifted Matthews back to the center position where he remained for another four years, earning Pro Bowl honors each season and being either first or second team All Pro three times.  When Pardee was finally fired during a disastrous start to the 1994 season he was replaced by Jeff Fisher, who had been a college teammate with Matthews at USC.

After signing an extension with the Houston Oilers prior to the 1995 season, the team picked up another free agent center and Bruce Matthews returned to his favorite spot at left guard.  The relationship between the team and their home city had become fractured, however, and after 1996 owner Bud Adams relocated his franchise to Tennessee.  They kept the Oilers name for two years before becoming the Titans in 1999, but irrespective of the name their Pro Bowl offensive lineman remained the same.  Despite his legendary durability that saw him never miss a game due to injury Matthews only played in one championship, which was Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season when Tennessee eventually lost to the St. Louis Rams.  Matthews eventually retired at the age of 40 following the 2001 season, at which point he had recorded 14 consecutive Pro Bowl selections and was the all-time leader in games played among position players (non-kickers).  Upon retiring he became a full-time dad and volunteer high school coach, while his team honored him by retiring his number and placing him in the Oilers/Titans Ring of Honor.  He was enshrined in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2001), Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (2002), and USC Athletics Hall of Fame (2005) before being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2007 during his first year of eligibility.  Matthews worked as an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans before being hired by former teammate Mike Munchak as the Tennessee Titans offensive line coach for three seasons.  Inspired by his twin brothers who were born with developmental challenges before each becoming medalists in the Special Olympics, as well as his youngest daughter Gwen who has Down Syndrome, Matthews has devoted much of his time and energy to charitable causes, including the Special Olympics and Fellowship for Christian Athletes.  In addition, he is involved with an evangelistic ministry called Search and continues to cheer on the third generation of the Matthews football family.

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