Clay Matthews III facts for kids
Matthews with the Green Bay Packers in 2012
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| No. 52 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 14, 1986 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Agoura (Agoura Hills, California) | ||||||||||||
| College: | USC (2004–2008) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is a former professional football player. He was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Matthews was chosen for the Pro Bowl six times and was a two-time All-Pro player. He played for the Green Bay Packers for 10 seasons and the Los Angeles Rams for one season. Matthews holds the record for the most sacks in Packers history, with 83.5. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Family Football History
Clay Matthews III was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Clay Matthews Jr., was also a professional football player. Clay comes from a family with a long history in professional football. His grandfather, Clay Matthews Sr., also played. His brother, Casey Matthews, and his uncle, Bruce Matthews, were also NFL players. Several of his cousins also played football.
Matthews went to Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. He was not a star player in high school because he was smaller than other players. His father, who was the team's defensive coach, did not start him. Clay grew physically during his senior year. He hoped to play college football like his father and uncle.
College Career at USC
Matthews attended the University of Southern California (USC) from 2004 to 2008. He joined the USC Trojans football team as a "walk-on" player, meaning he wasn't offered a scholarship at first. In his first year, he practiced with the team but didn't play in games to save his eligibility.
He mainly played on special teams in 2005. In 2006, he earned a full athletic scholarship. Matthews continued to play as a reserve linebacker in 2006 and 2007. He was named USC's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. He also blocked two field goals in 2007.
Before the 2008 season, Matthews worked hard to get bigger and stronger. His coaches tried him in a new "elephant" position. This role allowed him to play like a defensive end but use the speed of a linebacker. This worked well, and he recorded 4.5 sacks. He also won his third straight Special Teams Player of the Year award in 2008. This made him the only player in USC history to achieve this.
Matthews was considered a top player for the 2009 NFL draft. He was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with two other USC linebackers.
Professional Football Career
Green Bay Packers
Rookie Season (2009)
The Green Bay Packers selected Clay Matthews with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Packers traded up to get him. Many experts were surprised because Matthews had limited starting experience in college. However, the Packers' linebacker coach, Kevin Greene, believed in him. Greene, a former NFL star, said Matthews had skills he didn't even have.
Matthews quickly made an impact. He scored his first career touchdown in October 2009. He stripped the ball from a Minnesota Vikings player and ran it back for a touchdown. He was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week multiple times that season. In December 2009, he set a new Packers rookie record with 10 sacks.
He was also chosen for the 2010 Pro Bowl, becoming the first Packers rookie since 1978 to earn this honor. In his rookie season, Matthews had 51 tackles, 10 sacks, and helped break up seven passes.
Super Bowl Champion (2010)
In 2010, the Packers moved Matthews around the field more to make it harder for opponents to block him. He had an amazing start to the season, recording six sacks in the first two games. He finished the season with 13.5 sacks, which was fourth-best in the league. He was named to the 2011 Pro Bowl and was selected for the All-Pro team. Matthews also won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Month award for September. He was named the SN-NFL Defensive Player of the Year and won the Butkus Award.
Matthews played a key role in the Packers' journey to Super Bowl XLV. In the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he made a game-changing play. In the fourth quarter, he forced a fumble from Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall. The Packers recovered the ball and never lost their lead, winning the Super Bowl 31–25. This was the Packers' first Super Bowl title since Super Bowl XXXI.
Later Packers Seasons (2011-2018)
In 2011, Matthews had 50 tackles and six sacks. He also had a career-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. Despite lower sack numbers, he felt he had his best overall season.
Before the 2012 season, the Packers focused on improving their defense. Matthews started the season strong with 2.5 sacks in the first game and a career-high 3.5 sacks in the second game. He became one of only six players in NFL history to record six or more sacks in the first two games of a season. He finished 2012 with 13 sacks and was selected for his fourth straight Pro Bowl. He also became the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history with a $66 million contract over five years.
In 2013, Matthews played in 11 games due to a broken thumb. He still managed 7.5 sacks. In 2014, the Packers signed veteran Julius Peppers to help Matthews with the pass rush. Matthews also started playing both outside and middle linebacker, which greatly improved the Packers' defense. He finished the season with 11 sacks and started every game for the first time in his career.
Matthews continued to be a key player for the Packers in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, he became the Packers' all-time sacks leader by sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Mike Glennon. He finished 2017 with 7.5 sacks.
In 2018, Matthews had a broken nose from a charity softball game. He also received some controversial "roughing the passer" penalties early in the season. He recorded his last sack at Lambeau Field in October 2018 against the San Francisco 49ers. After the 2018 season, Matthews became a free agent.
Los Angeles Rams
In March 2019, Matthews signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. He quickly made an impact, recording sacks in his first three games with the team. In Week 5, he suffered a broken jaw and missed three games. He finished the season with 13 starts. Matthews was released by the Rams in March 2020 and did not play during the 2020 season.
Retirement
After two seasons away from football, Clay Matthews announced his retirement on September 27, 2022. He mentioned that he wished he could have finished his career with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him and with whom he won a Super Bowl.
On November 15, 2023, it was announced that Matthews would be inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. He officially became the 170th member of the Hall of Fame on August 29, 2024.
Career Stats
Clay Matthews had an impressive career in the NFL. Here are some of his statistics:
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | ||
| 2009 | GB | 16 | 13 | 51 | 37 | 14 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 2010 | GB | 15 | 15 | 60 | 54 | 6 | 13.5 | 1 | 62 | 62.0 | 62 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | GB | 15 | 15 | 50 | 37 | 13 | 6.0 | 3 | 47 | 15.7 | 38 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | GB | 12 | 12 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 13.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | GB | 11 | 11 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | GB | 16 | 16 | 61 | 54 | 16 | 11.0 | 1 | 40 | 40.0 | 40 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | GB | 16 | 16 | 66 | 49 | 17 | 6.5 | 1 | 42 | 42.0 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | GB | 12 | 9 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | GB | 14 | 14 | 43 | 27 | 16 | 7.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | GB | 16 | 16 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | LAR | 13 | 13 | 37 | 27 | 10 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | 156 | 150 | 519 | 383 | 136 | 91.5 | 6 | 191 | 31.8 | 62 | 2 | 43 | 17 | 5 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | ||
| 2009 | GB | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 |
| 2010 | GB | 4 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 3.5 |
| 2011 | GB | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 |
| 2012 | GB | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 3.0 |
| 2014 | GB | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 1.0 |
| 2015 | GB | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | GB | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Total | 15 | 15 | 58 | 45 | 13 | 11.0 | |
Personal Life
Clay Matthews is married to Casey Noble-Matthews, and they have three children: William Clay IV, Madeline Joy, and Colton. The Matthews family now lives near Nashville, Tennessee.
Matthews has been involved in charity work and sports memorabilia. He also sold his large home in California to Atlanta Hawks basketball star Trae Young.
Beyond Football
Matthews has appeared in various TV shows and movies. He was on WWE Smackdown in 2011, helping out in a wrestling match. He also had small roles in the movies Pitch Perfect 2 and Entourage. He appeared in an episode of The Mindy Project.
In 2015, he was featured on an online episode for Houzz, where he helped renovate his brother's home. In 2018, he and his wife were on the show Tanked, where they had an 800-gallon fish tank installed in their home library.
Throughout his NFL career, Matthews had many commercial sponsorships with well-known brands like Nike, Gillette, Verizon, and State Farm. Interestingly, he has a peanut allergy but still promoted The Wonderful Company brand pistachios.
See also
In Spanish: Clay Matthews III para niños
