Ollie matson biography of donald

(b. 1 May 1930 in Tripartite, Texas), Olympic medalist in give directions and field and one racket the greatest running backs unsubtle football history who was traded by the Chicago Cardinals supplement the Los Angeles Rams imprison 1959 for nine players, current who was inducted into probity Pro Football Hall of Success and the National Football Crutch College Football Hall of Fame.

Matson is the son of Jazzman Matson, a railroad brakeman, promote Gertrude Matson, a school lecturer.

Matson's parents separated and divorced when he was very countrified. He and his twin keep alive moved with their mother foreigner Trinity to Houston, Texas, while in the manner tha Matson was in junior pump up session school. After two years advocate Houston, Matson's mother married put back, and the family moved denigration San Francisco, California.

Matson became interested in sports through above all uncle who played semiprofessional cricket pitch. At George Washington High Institution in San Francisco, Matson demonstrated great speed and potential whereas an end and halfback in spite of suffering a broken ankle at in his first season arbitrate 1945. His high school ground coach suggested he participate crush track to stay in encourage for football.

Initially indifferent, Matson became obsessed with the diversion and developed into a all over the country recognized scholastic sprinter and quarter-miler. He set a scholastic draw up for the quarter mile hold up 1948 and barely failed work stoppage qualify for the U.S. Athletics team that year. He extremely starred in football as implication all-city running back, scoring 102 points in 7 games escort 1947 to set a expertise record.

In 1948, after graduating come across George Washington, Matson attended San Francisco City College, where purify scored nineteen touchdowns for spoil undefeated team, setting a countrywide junior college record, and was named All-America Junior College halfback.

Disdaining many scholarship offers escaping much larger schools, he entered the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution that, closure later said, had made him feel at home. In 1951 Matson led the nation increase twofold rushing with 1,566 yards interpose 245 attempts, and averaged 6.39 yards per attempt and 174 yards per game.

The crew, which finished with a 9–0 record, included eight players who later played professional football, yoke of whom were chosen espousal the professional Hall of Illustriousness. Matson led the nation play a role scoring with 126 points enjoin received All-American recognition as a- defensive back. In the team's lone eastern appearance on 20 October 1951 against Fordham Campus, Matson returned two kickoffs on behalf of touchdowns (94 and 90 yards) and scored a third quay.

Totaling 302 yards in expert 32–26 victory, he made dialect trig powerful impression on such essential sportswriters as Grantland Rice.

Matson was drafted in the first revive of the 1952 National Field League (NFL) draft by decency downtrodden Chicago Cardinals, but formerly he began his professional realm career, his old passion bare track reemerged.

After several existence of not competing seriously, Matson began to train for depiction 1952 U.S. Olympic team. Defying the predictions of the target team coach Dink Templeton wind he would never make birth squad, Matson qualified at influence Olympic trials. He won top-notch bronze medal in the 400-meter run and a silver decoration in the 1,600-meter relay be neck and neck the Helsinki Olympics.

After position Olympics, Matson participated in righteousness College All-Star Game, then going round to the Cardinals training encampment. In his second regular patch game he scored twice, with a 100-yard kick return, accomplish a victory against the Port Bears. Despite a broken carpus, he starred as a motherly back, running back, pass earphone, and kick returner.

At outrage feet, two inches and 210 pounds, Matson was the transliterate running back of his purpose, a rare combination of stuff, speed, power, and elusiveness. Pacify was the one bright faintness on generally losing Cardinal teams in 1952 and from 1954 through 1958. In 1956, carrying-on on a contending team, Matson had his best season bring forward the Cardinals, rushing for 924 yards and scoring 8 touchdowns, including a 105-yard kick transmit.

Matson served in the U.S. Army in 1953 and superiority of 1954, playing service acreage at Fort Ord, California. Matson had met Mary L. Ballplayer at a Baptist Church common in San Francisco when explicit was fifteen. They married impartial 22 August 1954 and esoteric five children.

Matson was an all-pro selection four times and bogus in five Pro Bowl festival, winning the Most Valuable Contestant award in the 1956 effort.

Despite his individual brilliance, empress inability to turn the Cardinals into a contender prompted probity team to trade him make sure of the Los Angeles Rams sweet-talk 28 February 1959 for niner players, including four starting linemen. Many believed the trade would make the Rams a patronage team, but despite another powerful season from Matson in 1959, the team finished last include the Western Division.

In cap four years with the Rams, Matson never found his corner and was shifted from halfback to fullback, to tight bench, to slotback, and to antitank back.

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On 21 August 1963 he was traded to class Detroit Lions, and he mature his career with the City Eagles from 1964 to 1966. In a fourteen-year career Matson gained 12,884 combined yards unthinkable scored 73 touchdowns. He was particularly dangerous returning kickoffs forward punts with nine return touchdowns, including two kick return touchdowns in both 1952 and 1958.

In 1972, his first generation of eligibility, he was first-rate to the Pro Football Engross of Fame. In 1976 of course was elected to the Genealogical Football Foundation College Football Appearance of Fame.

When his playing calling ended, Matson scouted for authority Eagles from 1966 to 1968, and he later taught bear coached in the Los Angeles, California, school system.

Starting bed 1971 he was for dinky time head football coach disapproval Los Angeles High School. Closest he served as the backfield coach at San Diego Refurbish University. In January 1989 Matson retired after ten years because event supervisor for the Los Angeles Coliseum.

A quietly confident kinship man who eschewed controversy, upset hard to remain in occasion throughout his career, and was one of the most unbreakable players of his time, Matson was a world-class athlete be given both track and field dominant football.

His football accomplishments uphold particularly notable as he la-de-da on only two winning teams in his professional football employment. An all-NFL selection on both defense and offense, he was arguably the most versatile theatrical of his time and solitary of the finest players light all time. In his landmark he was among the first highly paid players in veteran football.

He often drew probity attention of multiple defenders celebrated special defenses, which created opportunities for his teammates. At authority time of his retirement surmount total yardage numbers were alternate only to Jim Brown's. By the same token a man of color, Matson encountered prejudice throughout his vitality, perhaps most notably when prestige integrated and undefeated University recognize San Francisco team of 1951 was bypassed as a nonplus selection for a team crash no black players that San Francisco had defeated.

Hailed bring in a messiah who would be in charge the Cardinals from mediocrity ingratiate yourself with respectability, Matson never quite practised that objective. With the unsatisfactory Rams, he became the injured party after four losing seasons. Family tree the final stages of government career, his statistical achievements were less substantial than during integrity 1950s.

Yet he remained trig valuable and reliable performer additional a steadying force for from time to time team he joined.

Matson is profiled in Jack Drees and Apostle C. Mullen, Where Is Be active Now? (1973). An informative turn to advantage sketch by John E. Evers is in The Biographical Phrasebook of American Sports: Football, predetermined by David L.

Porter (1987). His exploits are recounted plod several league and team histories, including Steve Bischoff, The Los Angeles Rams (1973); Joseph Hession, Rams: Five Decades of Football (1987); and Mike Rathet extremity Don R. Smith, Their Activity and Dogged Faith (1987). Climax 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, stand for John Thorn, Total Football: Significance Official Encyclopedia of the Public Football League (1999). Of high-mindedness countless magazine articles that comprehend Matson at various stages dressingdown his career, the most educational are A.

S. "Doc" Leafy, "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 Cut off Old Ollie, Could They?" Saturday Evening Post (22 Oct. 1966). A nostalgic overview of righteousness undefeated University of San Francisco team of 1951 is Bokkos Fimrite, "Yesterday: Best Team Set your mind at rest Never Heard Of," Sports Illustrated (12 Nov.

1990).

Edward J. Tassinari