{{Short description|American football player (born 1958)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use American English|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Matt Suhey | number = 26 | position = Fullback | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|7|7}} | birth_place = Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 217 | high_school = State College Area (State College, Pennsylvania) | college = Penn State (1976–1979) | draftyear = 1980 | draftround = 2 | draftpick = 46 | pastteams = * Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1980|1989}}) | highlights = * Super Bowl champion (XX) * 100 greatest Bears of All-Time * 2× First-team All-East (1978, 1979) | statlabel1 = Rushing yards | statvalue1 = 2,946 | statlabel2 = Rushing average | statvalue2 = 3.6 | statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns | statvalue3 = 20 | pfr = SuheMa00 }}
'''Matthew Jerome Suhey''' (born July 7, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears. He won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Bears while scoring a touchdown in the game and was named to the Pennsylvania Football All-Century Team.<ref>[http://www.pafootballnews.com/AllCenturyTeams.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218053707/http://www.pafootballnews.com/AllCenturyTeams.htm|date=February 18, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1986-01-27 |title=Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-27-mn-540-story.html |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
Before his NFL career, Suhey played college football at Penn State from 1976 to 1979, rushing for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also catching 39 passes for 328 yards and 2 scores, along with 21 punt returns for 252 yards and another touchdown.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/matt-suhey-1.html | title=Matt Suhey College Stats }}</ref>
Suhey was the lead blocker and friend of Walter Payton. He is also a close friend of the Payton family, and the executor of the Payton estate since the death of Walter. Although Suhey was never a leader in any statistical category, he was a fan favorite for his personality and blocking ability.
Matt Suhey is one of three sons of College Football Hall of Fame guard Steve Suhey to letter at Penn State University and a grandson of Hall of Fame Penn State player and coach Bob Higgins. His son, Joe Suhey, was a fullback at Penn State from 2007 to 2011. The Higgins–Suhey family is often referred to as the "first family of Penn State football" due to their affiliation with the program spanning four generations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/ginger-suhey-matriarch-of-penn-state-first-family-of-football-dies,942430/|title=Ginger Suhey, Matriarch of Penn State First Family of Football, Dies|date=2011-11-23|accessdate=2014-06-01|archive-date=2014-06-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605051610/http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/ginger-suhey-matriarch-of-penn-state-first-family-of-football-dies,942430/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==NFL career statistics== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" |- ! colspan="2"| Legend |- | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| | Won the Super Bowl |- | '''Bold''' | Career high |}
===Regular season=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="5"| Receiving |- ! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD |- ! 1980 !! CHI | '''16''' || 1 || 22 || 45 || 2.0 || 10 || 0 || 7 || 60 || 8.6 || 21 || 0 |- ! 1981 !! CHI | 15 || 14 || '''150''' || 521 || 3.5 || 26 || 3 || 33 || 168 || 5.1 || 15 || 0 |- ! 1982 !! CHI | 9 || 8 || 70 || 206 || 2.9 || 15 || 3 || 36 || 333 || 9.3 || 45 || 0 |- ! 1983 !! CHI | '''16''' || 13 || 149 || '''681''' || '''4.6''' || '''39''' || '''4''' || '''49''' || '''429''' || 8.8 || 52 || 1 |- ! 1984 !! CHI | '''16''' || '''16''' || 124 || 424 || 3.4 || 21 || '''4''' || 42 || 312 || 7.4 || 23 || '''2''' |- ! 1985 !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| CHI | '''16''' || '''16''' || 115 || 471 || 4.1 || 17 || 1 || 33 || 295 || 8.9 || 35 || 1 |- ! 1986 !! CHI | '''16''' || 14 || 84 || 270 || 3.2 || 17 || 2 || 24 || 235 || '''9.8''' || '''58''' || 0 |- ! 1987 !! CHI | 12 || 2 || 7 || 24 || 3.4 || 6 || 0 || 7 || 54 || 7.7 || 12 || 0 |- ! 1988 !! CHI | '''16''' || '''16''' || 87 || 253 || 2.9 || 19 || 2 || 20 || 154 || 7.7 || 29 || 0 |- ! 1989 !! CHI | '''16''' || 0 || 20 || 51 || 2.6 || 8 || 1 || 9 || 73 || 8.1 || 22 || 1 |- ! colspan="2"| !! 148 !! 100 !! 828 !! 2,946 !! 3.6 !! 39 !! 20 !! 260 !! 2,113 !! 8.1 !! 58 !! 5 |}
===Playoffs=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="5"| Receiving |- ! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD |- ! 1984 !! CHI | 2 || 2 || 10 || 23 || 2.3 || '''15''' || 0 || '''5''' || '''44''' || 8.8 || '''33''' || 0 |- ! 1985 !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"| CHI | '''3''' || '''3''' || '''23''' || '''108''' || '''4.7''' || 11 || '''1''' || 4 || 36 || '''9.0''' || 24 || 0 |- ! 1986 !! CHI | 1 || 1 || 4 || 14 || 3.5 || 5 || 0 || 1 || 2 || 2.0 || 2 || 0 |- ! 1987 !! CHI | 1 || 1 || 4 || 8 || 2.0 || 5 || 0 || 1 || 6 || 6.0 || 6 || 0 |- ! 1988 !! CHI | 2 || 2 || 2 || 3 || 1.5 || 3 || 0 || 2 || 8 || 4.0 || 4 || 0 |- ! colspan="2"| !! 9 !! 9 !! 43 !! 156 !! 3.6 !! 15 !! 1 !! 13 !! 96 !! 7.4 !! 33 !! 0 |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == *{{Cite news |last=Pompei |first=Dan |date=2024-10-31 |title=Walter Payton and Matt Suhey, backfield mates turned brothers, and a bond that transcends time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5825337/2024/10/31/walter-payton-matt-suhey-relationship-nfl-chicago-bears/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |work=The Athletic}}
{{Bears1980DraftPicks}} {{Super Bowl XX}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suhey, Matt}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:People from State College, Pennsylvania Category:Players of American football from Centre County, Pennsylvania Category:American football fullbacks Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players Category:Chicago Bears players Category:State College Area High School alumni Category:20th-century American sportsmen