Robert Mathis facts for kids
Mathis with the Indianapolis Colts in 2016
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| Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Pass rush consultant Player development |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | February 26, 1981 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | McNair (Atlanta) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Alabama A&M (1999–2002) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2003 / Round: 5 / Pick: 138 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
Robert Nathan Mathis (born February 26, 1981) is a former American football player. He played his entire 14-year career for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL). Mathis was a defensive end and linebacker.
He played college football at Alabama A&M University. The Colts picked him in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft. Mathis was a two-time All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl five times. He helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI in 2006. Mathis holds the NFL record for most forced fumbles and "strip sacks" in a career. After retiring, he became an assistant coach for the Colts.
Contents
Early Life and High School Years
Robert Mathis was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to McNair High School in Atlanta.
College Football Career
Mathis attended Alabama A&M University. He was a starting player for the Bulldogs for four years. In his senior year, he set a record with 20 sacks. This made him one of the best defensive players in his college division. Mathis earned a degree in exercise science in 2010.
Robert Mathis's NFL Journey
Starting Strong: 2003-2005 Seasons
The Indianapolis Colts chose Mathis in the 2003 NFL draft. He was the 138th player picked overall.
In his first year, Mathis was a "pass rush specialist." He played in all 16 games. He made 20 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and forced 3 fumbles. In his second season, Mathis improved even more. He had 36 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and forced 6 fumbles. He did this even though he only started one game. In his third season, Mathis set a Colts team record. He had at least one sack in eight games in a row. He finished that year with 54 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and forced 8 fumbles.
Becoming a Champion: 2006-2011 Seasons
After the 2005 season, Mathis signed a big contract with the Colts. He signed for five years and $30 million. The next season, Mathis started every game for the first time. He had 65 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and forced 6 fumbles. That year, Mathis helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI. They beat the Chicago Bears to become NFL champions. In 2007, Mathis had 32 tackles, 7 sacks, and forced 4 fumbles.
In 2008, Mathis had one of his best seasons. He made 48 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and forced 5 fumbles. He was chosen for the 2009 Pro Bowl.
In November 2009, Mathis won his first AFC Defensive Player of the Month award. He ended the season with 37 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and forced 5 fumbles. He won the award again in September 2010. He finished 2010 with 60 tackles, 11 sacks, and forced 1 fumble.
Mathis had 9.5 sacks in the 2011 season. He also had 43 tackles and forced 3 fumbles. This was his seventh season with at least 9.5 sacks. In January 2012, Mathis was added to the AFC Pro Bowl team.
Record-Breaking Years: 2012-2016 Seasons
On March 5, 2012, Mathis signed a new four-year contract. It was worth $36 million. He began playing a new position, strong-side outside linebacker. This was under the new Colts coach, Chuck Pagano. In Week 13, he made his first career interception.
In Week 5 of the 2013 season, Mathis got his 100th career sack. He became the 30th player in NFL history to do this. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. This was his third time winning this award.
On November 24, 2013, Mathis set a new NFL record. He got his 40th career "strip sack." A strip sack is when a player sacks the quarterback and forces a fumble at the same time. This broke the old record held by Jason Taylor.
In a game on December 15, 2013, Mathis sacked the quarterback. This gave him 16.5 sacks for the season. It was a new Colts record for single-season sacks. He also broke the Colts' career sack record with 108 sacks. Both records were previously held by his former teammate, Dwight Freeney. This sack was also his 42nd career strip sack.
Mathis led the NFL in sacks in 2013 with 19.5. He won the first-ever Deacon Jones award for leading the league in sacks. He also won his second AFC Defensive Player of the Month award for December.
In May 2014, Mathis was suspended for four games. This was for violating the league's drug policy. Mathis said it was because he took unapproved fertility drugs.
On September 8, 2014, Mathis tore his Achilles tendon while working out. This injury kept him out for the entire 2014 season. The Colts signed him to a one-year contract extension later that month.
During the 2015 season, Mathis won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. He earned it in Week 16 after getting two sacks against the Dolphins. One of his sacks ended the game.
On December 30, 2016, Mathis announced he would retire. His last game was the Colts' Week 17 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game, Mathis had three tackles and a strip sack. This was his 123rd career sack. He passed Dwight Freeney for 17th most sacks in NFL history. He also extended his own record for most career strip sacks to 47. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in his final game.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | ||
| NFL record | ||
| Led the league | ||
| Bold | Career high | |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2003 | IND | 16 | 0 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 3.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | IND | 16 | 1 | 36 | 32 | 4 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| 2005 | IND | 13 | 0 | 56 | 45 | 11 | 11.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | IND | 16 | 16 | 65 | 50 | 15 | 9.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | IND | 13 | 12 | 37 | 31 | 6 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | IND | 15 | 2 | 47 | 36 | 11 | 11.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 1 |
| 2009 | IND | 14 | 9 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 9.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | IND | 16 | 16 | 60 | 44 | 16 | 11.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | IND | 16 | 15 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 9.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | IND | 12 | 12 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | IND | 16 | 16 | 59 | 44 | 15 | 19.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | IND | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||
| 2015 | IND | 15 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | IND | 14 | 12 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| Career | 192 | 121 | 538 | 408 | 130 | 123.0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 17 | 78 | 3 | |
Postseason Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2003 | IND | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2004 | IND | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | IND | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006 | IND | 4 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 1.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | IND | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008 | IND | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009 | IND | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010 | IND | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2012 | IND | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013 | IND | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | IND | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||
| Career | 18 | 11 | 55 | 39 | 16 | 6.5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Life After Playing Football
Mathis appeared as himself in an episode of the TV show Parks and Recreation. He was with teammates Andrew Luck, Reggie Wayne, Adam Vinatieri, Anthony Castonzo, and Colts owner Jim Irsay.
In 2017, Mathis joined the Colts coaching staff. He works as a Pass Rush Consultant.
In 2020, Mathis started the Gridiron Gang. This is a football team based in Indianapolis that travels to play games.
