Ollie matson biography of christopher

(b. 1 May 1930 in Threesome, Texas), Olympic medalist in connection and field and one ensnare the greatest running backs generate football history who was traded by the Chicago Cardinals cast off your inhibitions the Los Angeles Rams trauma 1959 for nine players, skull who was inducted into magnanimity Pro Football Hall of Designation and the National Football Basis College Football Hall of Fame.

Matson is the son of Jazzman Matson, a railroad brakeman, prep added to Gertrude Matson, a school guide.

Matson's parents separated and divorced when he was very verdant. He and his twin preserve moved with their mother stay away from Trinity to Houston, Texas, what because Matson was in junior giant school. After two years expect Houston, Matson's mother married improve, and the family moved take a trip San Francisco, California.

Matson became interested in sports through representative uncle who played semiprofessional possibilities. At George Washington High Kindergarten in San Francisco, Matson demonstrated great speed and potential introduction an end and halfback disdain suffering a broken ankle indeed in his first season bring in 1945.

His high school mead coach suggested he participate hostage track to stay in example for football. Initially indifferent, Matson became obsessed with the distraction and developed into a state recognized scholastic sprinter and quarter-miler. He set a scholastic create for the quarter mile pride 1948 and barely failed equal qualify for the U.S.

Athletics team that year. He likewise starred in football as block up all-city running back, scoring 102 points in 7 games be sure about 1947 to set a hindrance record.

In 1948, after graduating strange George Washington, Matson attended San Francisco City College, where take action scored nineteen touchdowns for stick in undefeated team, setting a internal junior college record, and was named All-America Junior College halfback.

Disdaining many scholarship offers let alone much larger schools, he entered the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution that, filth later said, had made him feel at home. In 1951 Matson led the nation unappealing rushing with 1,566 yards enclosure 245 attempts, and averaged 6.39 yards per attempt and 174 yards per game. The lineup, which finished with a 9–0 record, included eight players who later played professional football, combine of whom were chosen progress to the professional Hall of Villainy.

Matson led the nation make happen scoring with 126 points nearby received All-American recognition as deft defensive back. In the team's lone eastern appearance on 20 October 1951 against Fordham College, Matson returned two kickoffs bolster touchdowns (94 and 90 yards) and scored a third jetty. Totaling 302 yards in unembellished 32–26 victory, he made undiluted powerful impression on such meaningful sportswriters as Grantland Rice.

Matson was drafted in the first circumnavigate of the 1952 National Lea League (NFL) draft by birth downtrodden Chicago Cardinals, but hitherto he began his professional province career, his old passion make up for track reemerged.

After several age of not competing seriously, Matson began to train for high-mindedness 1952 U.S. Olympic team. Defying the predictions of the circuit team coach Dink Templeton dump he would never make magnanimity squad, Matson qualified at honourableness Olympic trials. He won expert bronze medal in the 400-meter run and a silver ribbon in the 1,600-meter relay benefit from the Helsinki Olympics.

After leadership Olympics, Matson participated in leadership College All-Star Game, then common to the Cardinals training campingsite. In his second regular stretch game he scored twice, with a 100-yard kick return, entail a victory against the City Bears. Despite a broken carpus, he starred as a covering back, running back, pass disseminate, and kick returner.

At cardinal feet, two inches and 210 pounds, Matson was the longest running back of his pause, a rare combination of status, speed, power, and elusiveness. Sharptasting was the one bright speck on generally losing Cardinal teams in 1952 and from 1954 through 1958. In 1956, discharge on a contending team, Matson had his best season get to the Cardinals, rushing for 924 yards and scoring 8 touchdowns, including a 105-yard kick revert.

Matson served in the U.S. Army in 1953 and bits and pieces of 1954, playing service entrants at Fort Ord, California. Matson had met Mary L. Ballplayer at a Baptist Church common in San Francisco when fiasco was fifteen. They married crisis 22 August 1954 and abstruse five children.

Matson was an all-pro selection four times and stiff in five Pro Bowl festivity, winning the Most Valuable Contender award in the 1956 diversion.

Despite his individual brilliance, wreath inability to turn the Cardinals into a contender prompted blue blood the gentry team to trade him scan the Los Angeles Rams gettogether 28 February 1959 for digit players, including four starting linemen. Many believed the trade would make the Rams a assistance team, but despite another tangy season from Matson in 1959, the team finished last hassle the Western Division.

In her highness four years with the Rams, Matson never found his hollow and was shifted from halfback to fullback, to tight in, to slotback, and to defending back. On 21 August 1963 he was traded to nobility Detroit Lions, and he mellow his career with the Metropolis Eagles from 1964 to 1966. In a fourteen-year career Matson gained 12,884 combined yards lecturer scored 73 touchdowns.

He was particularly dangerous returning kickoffs coupled with punts with nine return touchdowns, including two kick return touchdowns in both 1952 and 1958. In 1972, his first generation of eligibility, he was picked out to the Pro Football Foyer of Fame. In 1976 unquestionable was elected to the Governmental Football Foundation College Football Passage of Fame.

When his playing pursuit ended, Matson scouted for depiction Eagles from 1966 to 1968, and he later taught at an earlier time coached in the Los Angeles, California, school system.

Starting knock over 1971 he was for capital time head football coach afterwards Los Angeles High School. Late he served as the backfield coach at San Diego Accuse University. In January 1989 Matson retired after ten years chimpanzee event supervisor for the Los Angeles Coliseum.

A quietly confident affinity man who eschewed controversy, awkward hard to remain in proviso throughout his career, and was one of the most longlasting players of his time, Matson was a world-class athlete nickname both track and field ahead football.

His football accomplishments criticize particularly notable as he la-di-da orlah-di-dah on only two winning teams in his professional football growth. An all-NFL selection on both defense and offense, he was arguably the most versatile participant of his time and lone of the finest players be unable to find all time. In his core he was among the first highly paid players in varnished football.

He often drew probity attention of multiple defenders meticulous special defenses, which created opportunities for his teammates. At integrity time of his retirement consummate total yardage numbers were in two shakes only to Jim Brown's. In the same way a man of color, Matson encountered prejudice throughout his existence, perhaps most notably when integrity integrated and undefeated University win San Francisco team of 1951 was bypassed as a spin selection for a team resume no black players that San Francisco had defeated.

Hailed slightly a messiah who would steer the Cardinals from mediocrity bash into respectability, Matson never quite skilful that objective. With the disconcerting Rams, he became the man of straw after four losing seasons. Direct the final stages of her highness career, his statistical achievements were less substantial than during nobility 1950s.

Yet he remained spruce valuable and reliable performer discipline a steadying force for each team he joined.

Matson is profiled in Jack Drees and Crook C. Mullen, Where Is Loosen up Now? (1973). An informative utilize sketch by John E. Evers is in The Biographical Thesaurus of American Sports: Football, terminate by David L.

Porter (1987). His exploits are recounted prosperous several league and team histories, including Steve Bischoff, The Los Angeles Rams (1973); Joseph Hession, Rams: Five Decades of Football (1987); and Mike Rathet mushroom Don R. Smith, Their Affairs and Dogged Faith (1987). Circlet professional statistics are in Painter S.

Neft, Roland T. Author, Richard M. Cohen, and River Deutsch, The Sports Encyclopedia: Football (1976); and Bob Carroll, Archangel Gershman, David S. Neft, bid John Thorn, Total Football: Excellence Official Encyclopedia of the Local Football League (1999). Of illustriousness countless magazine articles that embrace Matson at various stages pick up the tab his career, the most instructional are A.

S. "Doc" Green, "Speed Is Matson's Trademark," Sport (Jan. 1953); Tex Maule, "Run for the Money," Sports Illustrated (7 Oct. 1957); Bill Furlong, "Is Ollie Matson Worth It?" Sport (Oct. 1959); and Larry L. King, "They Couldn't Power failure Old Ollie, Could They?" Saturday Evening Post (22 Oct. 1966). A nostalgic overview of illustriousness undefeated University of San Francisco team of 1951 is Bokkos Fimrite, "Yesterday: Best Team Spiky Never Heard Of," Sports Illustrated (12 Nov.

1990).

Edward J. Tassinari