Clay Matthews and the Green Bay Packers continue to mark their presence in the National Football League and both do so with impressive authority. The team has had an incredible season, and is continuing onto the post-season with confidence. Matthews, in his third season with the Packers, has been an important piece of the team’s success. He is an extraordinarily powerful and quick linebacker who has an interesting past and will, with no doubt, continue to have a remarkable career in the NFL.
William Clay Matthews III was born on May 14th, 1986 in the Northridge region of Los Angeles, California. His parents, Clay Jr. and Leslie Matthews, introduced Clay to football early in life and he ended up playing for his father at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. Clay Jr. was the defensive coordinator but refused to start his son because he was too small and not physical enough. Apparently Clay Matthews was a late bloomer, which caused many of the big Division I FBS schools to overlook him. A few Division I FCS schools and community colleges had their eye on Matthews, but he wanted the chance to play for a well-known school and make it to the NFL like both his grandfather and father.
Matthews decided to attend the University of Southern California as a walk-on student athlete, his main goal being to work his way up the rankings. In his first season in 2004, when USC won the national championship, Matthews maintained redshirt status and was practicing on the scout team. After playing on special teams in 2005 as a reserve linebacker, Matthews gained full athletic scholarship status in the 2006 season. He played on special teams for USC in 2006, 2007, and 2008 and proved himself to be an exceptionally valuable player. He won USC’s Co-Special Teams Player of the Year for all three season (2006-2008) and was the first University of Southern California football player to do so. After proving himself throughout his college career and playing in the 2009 senior bowl, Matthews was deemed to be a top prospect in the 2009 draft.
Matthews was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and was featured on the 2009 Sport’s Illustrated NFL Draft Preview magazine. There was a lot of hype surrounding Matthews and his worth as a linebacker and the Green Bay Packers came away with the grand prize. The Packers drafted Matthews as the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
After he was picked by Green Bay, the Matthews family became just the second family with three generations of National Football League players. His father, Clay Matthews Jr., played linebacker for 19 seasons for the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons and his grandfather, Clay Sr., played defensive end for four seasons in the NFL.
Matthews has a serious family football tradition. His uncle Bruce Matthews played in the NFL for 19 years, his younger brother Casey currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, and one of his cousins plays center for the Tennessee Titans.
Matthews has undoubtedly had one of the most notable starts to an NFL career anyone has ever seen. In his rookie year with the Packers, he had a record setting 10 sacks and was the first Packers rookie since 1978 to make it to the Pro Bowl. He has been selected to attend the Pro Bowl in all of his three seasons as an NFL linebacker (2009-2011).
He has received numerous awards throughout his first few seasons in the NFL including being named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team in 2009, being selected a First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2010, and being recognized as The Sporting News NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. Matthews was also named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year and received the Butkus Award, both in 2010.
Standing 6’3” and weighing in at 255 pounds, Clay Matthews III has put up astronomical numbers in just three seasons in the NFL. So far in his career he has posted 161 tackles, 29.0 sacks and 4 interceptions. In 2011 he has had 50 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 3 interceptions and those numbers will surely continue to increase. Last season, Matthews played a big part in aiding the Packers to their Super Bowl victory with his 3 tackles and 1 forced fumble. Certainly, any football fan knows the name Clay Matthews and realizes he is one of the best linebackers in the league, but many know him for his community involvement as well.
Matthews spends what extra time he has putting hard work and dedication into a charity he has shown tremendous passion for – CureDuchenne.
CureDuchenne’s main goal is to raise money to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is the most common muscle disease in children. Last year, Cadillac teamed up with CureDuchenne, Matthews, and Super Bowl XLV to try and raise funds for the non-profit organization.
Matthews agreed to star in a public service announcement for Cadillac and CureDuchenne, which featured a few young boys affected by the disease. Cadillac also worked with CureDuchenne and Matthews to set up an auction for Super Bowl ticket packages in order to raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.
Matthews attended several events in 2011, including Dealing for Duchenne and Champions to Cure Duchenne, in order to bring awareness to the disease and help raise money for the organization. It is clear this disease and the CureDuchenne organization have a special place in his heart and he plans on continuing to raise money to find a cure.
Clay Matthews is an inspiration to many on the field as well as off. He did not have an easy and clear path to the NFL, but with willpower and drive he was successful. Matthews has already made a lasting footprint on the National Football League, and on his efforts with CureDuchenne, and things can only go up from here.
