Bill Mathis

American football player (1938–2020)

American football player
Bill Mathis
No. 31
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born:(1938-12-10)December 10, 1938
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.
Died:October 20, 2020(2020-10-20) (aged 81)[1]
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Manchester (GA)
College:Clemson
NFL draft:1960 / Round: 8 / Pick: 88
AFL draft:1960 / Round: 1
Pick: First Selections
(by the Denver Broncos)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Bill Mathis (December 10, 1938 – October 20, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New York Titans/Jets in the American Football League (AFL).[2] He played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He started his professional career with the Titans, and played his entire career with the AFL's New York franchise. One of four Titans who remained with the New York Jets to play in and win a Super Bowl, Mathis led the AFL in carries in 1961 and was selected by his peers to the Sporting News 1961 AFL All-League team. He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1961 and 1963. Mathis had a collarbone broken in the third game of 1961, against the Boston Patriots. He played in the next game, and in fact in all the remaining games of the season.

That persistence allowed him to gain a roster spot year after year, and end his career in 1969 after winning Super Bowl III. He is one of twenty players who were in the AFL for its entire ten-year existence, and seven players who played their entire AFL careers for one franchise. He was inducted into the Clemson University Hall of Fame, South Carolina Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Hall of Fame.

After retiring from football, Mathis began a career on Wall Street, starting at the firm Cogan, Berlind, Weill & Levitt.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bill Mathis, Titans/Jets Great from 1960-69, Passes Away at 81". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Bill Mathis Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
  3. ^ Can Ex-Athletes Make it on Wall Street. New York Magazine, January 8, 1973

External links

  • Mathis' jersey from his 1961 injury
  • v
  • t
  • e
1876–1878
New York Athletic Club
  • 1876: Charles McIvor
  • 1877: William Wilmer
  • 1878: Fred Saportas
1879–1888
NAAAA
  • 1879: Beverly Value
  • 1880-81: Lon Myers
  • 1882-83: Arthur Waldron
  • 1884-86ro: Malcolm Ford
  • 1887: Charles Sherrill
  • 1888Note 1: Fred Westing
1888–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
  • OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Distance:Until 1927 the event was over 100 yards, and again from 1929-31
  • ro:In 1886 the event was won after a run-off
  • v
  • t
  • e
San Francisco 49ers 1960 NFL draft selections
  • v
  • t
  • e
New York Jets Super Bowl III champions