Matt Forte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Matt Forte

Forte with the Chicago Bears in 2008
No. 22
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1985-12-10) December 10, 1985 (age 39) Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:	Slidell (Slidell, Louisiana)
College:	Tulane (2004–2007)
NFL Draft:	2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44
Career history
Chicago Bears (2008–2015) New York Jets (2016–2017)
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl (2011, 2013) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2008) 100 greatest Bears of All-Time Third-team All-American (2007) 2× All-C-USA (2005, 2007)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 9,796 Rushing average: 4.2 Rushing touchdowns: 54 Receptions: 554 Receiving yards: 4,672 Receiving touchdowns: 21
Player stats at PFR

Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is a former American football player who was a fantastic running back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave. The Chicago Bears picked him in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. Matt Forte was known for being great at both running with the ball and catching passes. He is one of only three players ever to run for at least 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in one season. Forte played for the Bears for eight seasons, then joined the New York Jets for two seasons.

Early Life and High School Sports

Matt Forte grew up in Slidell, Louisiana. He went to Slidell High School and graduated in 2004. He was a star in both football and track.

High School Football Achievements

As a junior, he ran for 1,057 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns. In his senior year, he was named the St. Tammany Parish Player of the Year. He gained 1,375 yards with 23 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, in high school, he ran for 2,432 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also caught 48 passes for 618 yards and five touchdowns.

Track and Field Skills

Matt Forte was also a very fast sprinter. In 2003, he had some of the best times in the New Orleans area. His fastest times were 10.68 seconds in the 100 meters and 22.10 seconds in the 200 meters.

College Football Career

Forte played college football at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was part of the Conference USA. He played for Tulane from 2004 to 2007.

Freshman Year (2004)

As a freshman, Forte shared running duties with another player. He scored his first college touchdown on October 23 against UAB. His best game was against Army on November 13. In that game, he ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 624 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Sophomore Year (2005)

In his second year, Forte got most of the carries for Tulane. He ran for over 100 yards in one game against Southern Miss. He ended the season with 655 rushing yards and four touchdowns. This season was tough because Hurricane Katrina forced the team to play all their games away from home.

Junior Year (2006)

Forte started his junior season as the main running back. He had a great game against Mississippi State, running for 170 yards and a touchdown. He had four games in a row where he ran for over 100 yards. He scored six touchdowns during this time. His season was cut short in November due to an injury. He finished with 859 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Senior Year (2007)

Forte at the Superdome in 2007

Forte came back from his injury to have an amazing senior season. He carried the ball a lot for the Tulane offense. Forte set several school records, running for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns. He had five games where he ran for at least 200 yards. In two games, he ran for over 300 yards, and in three games, he scored at least four touchdowns. He was second in the NCAA for rushing yards and touchdowns that year.

Forte also shined at the 2008 Senior Bowl, an important game for college players hoping to go pro. He was named the Overall MVP of the game.

College Statistics

College Awards and Honors

• All-Conference USA (2005, 2007)
• Third-team All-American (2007)
• Senior Bowl MVP (2008)

Professional NFL Career

Matt Forte was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. He was the 44th player picked overall.

Chicago Bears Years (2008–2015)

Rookie Season (2008)

Forte takes a handoff from Kyle Orton while playing against the Carolina Panthers in September 2008

Forte became the starting running back for the Bears right away. In his first game on September 7, 2008, he ran for 123 yards. He also scored his first touchdown on a 50-yard run. This set a new team record for most rushing yards in a debut game. He had two more games where he ran for over 100 yards that season. In Week 13, he became the first Bears rookie since 2001 to run for over 1,000 yards. He set new rookie records for the Bears with 316 carries and 1,238 rushing yards. His 1,715 total yards from running and receiving was the third-best in the NFL. This also broke a team record held by Hall of Famer Gale Sayers. Forte led all rookie running backs in total yards and catches. His 61 catches also broke a team rookie record set by Mike Ditka.

2009 Season

Forte attempts to escape from San Francisco 49ers safety Michael Lewis in a 2009 meeting

Forte had his first big game of 2009 in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions. He ran for 121 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season. He finished the 2009 season with 929 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes for 471 yards. Even though his numbers were a bit lower, he was still the main runner for the Bears.

2010 Season

In the first game of 2010, Forte had his best receiving game ever. He caught passes for 151 yards, including two touchdowns. One of these was an 89-yard touchdown that helped the Bears win. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this great performance. In Week 5, he ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 68-yard run. The Bears finished the season with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs. Forte had 1,616 total yards from running and receiving, which was tenth best in the NFL.

2011 Season

Forte during training camp in 2009

Forte started the 2011 season catching a lot of passes. In Week 4, he ran for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. This started a streak of four games with over 100 rushing yards. Through the first nine games, Forte led the Bears in rushing yards, carries, catches, and receiving yards. He was also leading the entire league in total yards from scrimmage. Forte sprained his MCL (a knee ligament) in November, which ended his season. He finished with 997 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He also had 490 receiving yards and one touchdown. Even with the injury, he was chosen for the 2012 Pro Bowl for the first time. He was the first Bears running back to make the Pro Bowl since 1991.

2012 Season

In 2012, Forte signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Bears. He had an ankle injury in Week 2 but only missed one game. He had three games where he ran for over 100 yards. Forte finished the 2012 season with 1,094 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also had 44 catches for 340 yards.

2013 Season

In Week 3 of 2013, Forte had a 55-yard run, and the next week, a 53-yard run. This was the first time a Bears running back had two 50+ yard runs in back-to-back games since 1997. Two weeks later, he passed Rick Casares to become third on the Bears' all-time rushing list. In Week 7, Forte scored three rushing touchdowns in one game. He became the first Bears player and 18th NFL player to have 1,000 total yards from scrimmage in each of his first six seasons. On November 24, 2013, Forte passed Neal Anderson for second most career rushing yards in Bears history. He was also named to the 2014 Pro Bowl. Forte ended the 2013 season with a career-high nine rushing touchdowns. He had 1,933 total yards from scrimmage, which was the second-most in Bears history behind Walter Payton. His 1,339 rushing yards ranked second in the NFL that year.

2014 Season

Forte with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery in 2014

In 2014, Forte showed he was one of the best receiving running backs ever. He had five or more catches in 14 out of 16 games. He even had two games in a row with 10 or more catches, which was very rare for a running back. He finished the season with 102 receptions, breaking a record for running backs set in 1995. He also ran for over 1,000 yards for the third year in a row. This made him only the third Bear to do so, along with Neal Anderson and Walter Payton. He ran for over 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his career, second only to Payton.

2015 Season

In Week 1 of 2015, Forte started strong with 141 rushing yards and a touchdown. However, a knee injury sidelined him for three games. In 13 games, Forte ran for 898 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns. On February 12, 2016, Forte announced that the Bears would not be re-signing him. The Bears' general manager praised Forte, calling him "one of the all-time great Bears."

New York Jets Years (2016–2017)

2016 Season

On March 9, 2016, Forte signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the New York Jets. In his first game with the Jets, he ran for 96 yards and caught five passes for 59 yards. The next week, he ran for 100 yards and scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns. On October 23, 2016, he ran for 100 yards and a touchdown again. He also caught his first receiving touchdown of the season. Forte finished his first season as a Jet with 813 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

2017 Season

Forte had a toe injury early in the 2017 season, which kept him out for two weeks. He scored his first two touchdowns of the season in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills. He was placed on injured reserve in December 2017 due to a knee injury. His last professional game was on Christmas Eve. He finished the 2017 season with 381 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Retirement

On February 28, 2018, Matt Forte announced he was retiring from the NFL after 10 seasons. The Chicago Bears honored him and former teammate Devin Hester on April 23, 2018. Both players signed special one-day contracts to officially retire as members of the Bears. The Bears chairman praised Forte, calling him "a superior athlete" and "among the best in a long line of great Bears running backs."

After retiring, Forte joined NBC Sports Chicago as a football analyst. He was ranked 34th on the Chicago Bears' list of the Top 100 greatest Bears of all-time. In 2023, Forte was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

NFL Career Statistics

Career Awards and Highlights

• 2× Pro Bowl (2011, 2013)
• 2008 NFL All-Rookie Team
• NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 1, 2010)

Chicago Bears Records

• Most rush attempts by a rookie (316)
• Most receptions by a rookie (63)
• Most yards from scrimmage by a rookie (1,715)
• Most receptions in a playoff game (10, tied with Allen Robinson)
• Games with at least three touchdowns in a season (2 in 2013, tied with Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, and Neal Anderson)

Personal Life

Matt Forte married Danielle Daniels in August 2011. They have three children: Nahla (born 2013), Matthew Christian (born 2015), and Nia (born 2021). Forte and his family lived in Mettawa, Illinois, when he played for the Bears. His cousin is football safety Andrew Adams.

Forte is a Christian. He often talks about his faith, saying he wants people to see more than just football when they look at him. He wants his faith to show that it's about helping others.

Forte earned a degree in Finance from Tulane University in May 2009. He also took part in the 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl, a video game competition.

See also

In Spanish: Matt Forte para niños