Matte had a list of plays taped to a plastic wristband -- now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tom Flores, who coached the Raiders to championships in both Oakland and Los Angeles, made it all the way to Canton Saturday night. Tom Flores was given the news by Raiders owner Mark Davis and Hall of Fame president David Baker. The video is a more complete version of what the NFL posted Saturday. Which brings us back to Tom Matte. Anyway, that meant he and his teammates would face the Dallas Cowboys for the championship of nothing … which is perhaps why Colts coach Don Shula was willing to turn Tom Matte loose. Tom Flores reacts to his Hall of Fame selection & details getting 'The Knock' Feb 06, 2021 Raiders.com's Eddie Paskal is joined by Hall of Famer Tom Flores to … Former Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks coach Tom Flores explains what it means to him to make Hall of Fame. Everybody had a great time.". But in the third-to-last regular season game, Unitas, the previous year’s MVP, went down with an injury. 1937 1939 1942 1943 1946 1957 1958 1963 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1996 1997 2002 2003 2007 2008 On how Shula and Unitas worked together to put the best possible product on the field: “The thing about Shoes is that he understood that Unitas knew the game offensively. Among those to break through were Raiders head coach Tom Flores and defensive back Charles Woodson. He just knew the game. Tom Matte hoped that “switch” would stick. You guys may have to play a lot today. Over the next four-plus decades, Yawkey would become as synonymous with his franchise as perhaps any owner in baseball history. OBL 2/12: Tom Flores on his Hall of Fame nod, Chris Trapasso's outlook for the Bills, Tasker's Teammate with Jeff Burris This week's Tasker's Teammate gave us a … All my receivers, especially Jimmy Orr, used to laugh. And because he was no Johnny Unitas, he didn’t pass much. I couldn’t even put my hand around the ball,” Matte said. The Colts lost on a disputed Green Bay field goal about which, to this day, Tom Matte says there shouldn’t have been a dispute. Released the names of the members of the year’s class of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has become a slow process. Don’t tell me I have to play quarterback,'" he says. "I wasn’t the superstar by no means.". '", "I’m saying, 'Oh, my god. Are Former Ravens WRs Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith Sr. That wristband is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Well, I found out quickly that they weren’t drafting me as a quarterback. "We came within a whisker of playing for the world championship, with Tom Matte at quarterback. Shoes just picked up right with him. Hinton's wristband is placed next to that of Tom Matte in the exhibit. |, Ravens’ 2018 Draft Class On Course To Be Among Best In Franchise History, Glenn Clark: Let’s Not Kid Ourselves About What Matters Entering Orioles Spring Training, Team Profile: Watkins Mill High School Corollary Sports Program, Three Takeaways (And More) From The Terps’ 72-59 Win Against Minnesota. Now, listen to this story. Tom Landry Enshrinement Speech 1990. The defense plays a lot — a lot more than they like to play — when their team’s quarterback throws interceptions. Don’t tell me I have to play quarterback.' Matte ran for 4,646 yards and 45 touchdowns and caught 249 passes for 2,869 yards and 12 scores during his 12-year career, earning Pro Bowl nods in 1968 and 1969. He called the defense into the shower room for a private meeting," Matte begins. They expected no less in ’65. He personified what you wanted to have as a coach and a PR guy. He’s got the game ball in his trophy room, along with one of the wristbands he wore that season. Two of those catches were for touchdowns. (Technically, Hinton did not register as the team's starter for the game, as the team's first offensive play featured Lindsay … “I think he was very knowledgeable, very intense,” Matte said on Glenn Clark Radio May 4. “You didn’t want to get on the bad side of Shoes because you were in trouble. Under normal circumstances during the 1965 season, Matte’s job was to run the ball and catch the occasional pass from hall-of-fame quarterback Johnny Unitas. He says, 'Well, we don’t like to throw the ball anyway.' Late in the 1965 season, Matte also memorably filled in as an emergency quarterback when Colts QBs Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo went down with season-ending injuries in consecutive home losses to the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, respectively. Former Colt Tom Matte visits HOF. I had small hands and throwing a spiral was hard enough for me to do. Tom Brady is a Super Bowl champion again, for the seventh time in 10 tries. Losing meant they’d play in the game the players called the "Toilet Bowl,” a consolation tilt to determine third place. For the playoffs, though, they turned to halfback Tom Matte, who'd been a quarterback at Ohio State University. "In fact, somebody gave me a wooden carving of a hand and a wrist, and so I have that wrapped around there, and it’s sitting in the den," Matte says. Don Shula, who led the Baltimore Colts to a 73-26-4 record in the 1960s as part of a historic head coaching career that took place mostly with the Miami Dolphins, passed away May 4 at the age of 90. “[Unitas] and I sat down and figured out what I could do. Covering Baltimore sports, from high school to the pros since 2006. Former running back Tom Matte, who played for the Colts from 1961-1972, had long known Shula, who was just 10 years older than him, because both had grown up in Northeast Ohio – Matte in East Cleveland and Shula in Painesville, Ohio. It wasn’t the first time Tom Matte had been asked to play quarterback. They say, 'Well, if Cuozzo gets hurt, we’re gonna have to put you in at quarterback.' They’ve got John Unitas here. This is what I also want you to do,’” Matte said. The New England Patriots, without their first string quarterback due to suspension, have used two backups at that position. Presenter: Roger Staubach. This has been updated since its original publication to correct what games Matte played quarterback in. That’s what he wanted," Matte says. "He had confidence in me. He’d splice film together from the season before, show me all my highlights and what I did right and then he’d show me what I did wrong. And I say, 'OK.' Tom Matte, like his coach, had very little idea of how switching up the game plan would work out. After becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history when he took over the Colts at the age of 33, he went on to win Coach of the Year three times during his seven-year stint in Baltimore and led the Colts to an appearance in Super Bowl III against the New York Jets as part of the 1968 season. On Saturday, Peyton Manning headlined the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2021 class announcement, as a first-ballot shoe-in after his legendary career. It was a wristband with a little plastic cover, so if it got wet, nothing would happen. Actually, once upon a time, he sort of was, and I’ll explain. "But who wrote the plays on it, but my wife. "I was sort of the jack of all trades and master of none," Matte says. Raiders Greats Charles Woodson, Tom Flores Are Hall Of Fame Bound. 'Don't Get Hurt, I Don't Wanna Play Quarterback'. The trainer was able to keep Cuozzo’s injured shoulder numb for the length of that game. "We were laughing after. Some two hours after this first inductee was announced, they finally got through the full list. Matte and his teammates must have done some serious running as well. Baltimore finished the season 10-3-1. "Think about it," said Raymond Berry, the Hall of Fame receiver who played on that team. "All these guys today, if you take a look, all of 'em are wearing wristbands. "He … "I was praying they were gonna catch the ball, 'cause half the time they were like knuckleballs instead of spirals," Matte says. Click here to sign up for PressBox’s free weekly email newsletter. So of course Cuozzo got hurt almost immediately. All rights reserved. On the final play of the first half, from the New York 42, Colts QB Earl Morrall handed the ball off to Tom Matte, who promptly lateraled back to Morrall. The 2020 Class will be enshrined a day earlier after a … "'Cause you didn’t want to come back in the huddle if you dropped a pass. I couldn’t believe it. Mr. Commissioner, Mr. Mayor, Hall of Fame Committee, Hall of Famers, old and new, and most importantly you the fans that paved our parade route this morning and cheer in our stadiums, it is a pleasure to be here today and I want to update you on the score, the Browns are winning 7-3. Filed Under: Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tom … He was under center for the 10-3-1 Colts when they met the Green Bay Packers in a Divisional Playoff game on this day, December 26, 1965. At Ohio State, coach Woody Hayes had decided that his running back might be more useful under center. We watched them all grow up. "And I says, 'Why?' Don Shula knew the game defensively, and he did a tremendous job converting our defense into one of the top in the league. Potential First-Ballot HOFers? When injuries struck down the Baltimore Colts' top two quarterbacks, Johnny Unitas and Gary Cuozzo, during the 1965 season, Matte … They pressed former college QB turned running back Tom Matte into the starting QB role. The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2021 will be enshrined Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Canton, Ohio. Born in Sanger, he attended Sanger High … They were switching me back to running back.". "And Don McCafferty says, 'Hey,' and Shula said this, he says, 'Hey, listen, why don’t you put a wristband on, and we’ll signal to you which play we want you to call?' Not only that, he was very active in the community, he had a wonderful family and the players really enjoyed playing for him.”. February 6, 2021 at 7:01 pm. The running back didn’t agree. "I said, 'I don’t wanna play quarterback,'" Matte recalls. Bill Littlefield Twitter Host, Only A GameBill Littlefield was the host of Only A Game from 1993 until 2018. To read more about Tom Matte — and other non-quarterback quarterbacks — check out Sports Illustrated’s story “Emergency NFL QBs Who Have Been Called Into Action.”. I was reminded of some of Tom Matte’s sort of superstar days with the old Baltimore Colts this week because of what’s been happening to a contemporary NFL team. I could catch the football. I says, 'You gotta be kidding me.'". Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes had Matte play quarterback in … That wristband is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "We just kicked their butts all over the field," Matte says. The kick was wide. And then I got drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the first round in 1961, and I’m saying, 'What do they want me for? Matte appreciated that Shula put him in the best possible situation in order to succeed in difficult circumstances. These days, Tom Matte recalls his career as great fun, but the pressure before and during that game against Green Bay must have been considerable. I had good hands. . That meant that backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo would be in charge the rest of the way. The new class is … But his most memorable season might’ve been 1965, when he was forced to play quarterback with starter Johnny Unitas and backup Gary Cuozzo both hurt. News of NFL pioneer Tom Flores' election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has fans cheering a long overdue recognition. He handed off a lot. I’d come back in the huddle, and John would say, 'Tom, you wanna play quarterback today?' That was the thing that he really personified in making his coaching decisions is to make sure that we were all together and one the same page.”. To be housed in the Wang Theatre, the Hall of Fame will celebrate the history of Folk, Americana and Roots music through displays, memorabilia, artifacts, multi-media, lectures and concerts. She is the first female soccer player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Colts lost both Hall of Fame QB John Unitas and very experienced and capable backup Gary Cuozzo prior to the game. I really respected him.”, Matte touched on several other topics regarding Shula …, “I really enjoyed him as a coach, and he cut through the chase. "He says, 'First of all, I’m gonna let Matte throw the football, and I don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen. The Pro Football Hall of Fame reached out to the Broncos after the game and asked for Hinton’s wristband, according to KMGH-TV’s Troy Renck. Copyright © 2021 WordSmith Media Ventures, LLC. "I said, 'I don’t want to have anything to do with that.' He wanted the players to be active in the community. College Football Hall of Fame Charles Aaron " Bubba " Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011) was an American professional football player, who starred as a defensive end in both college and the NFL before becoming an actor following his retirement from the sport. On Sunday, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes in his 10th Super Bowl appearance, winning his seventh Lombardi Trophy, and fifth Super Bowl MVP. On Shula becoming one of the faces of the NFL: “He had a great example in Carroll Rosenbloom, the owner here. He says, ‘Here’s what you have to correct.’ He was a great coach. Matte had the plays on a wristban and actually did a good job. And I get in the huddle and the whole offensive line says, 'Good luck, Matte.'". Wristbands, game plans and a protective offensive line all worked for Tom Matte 50 years ago. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. But when it came down to game time, these two guys were on the same page and made the game what it is and what gave us some great records. She could print smaller than I could, so we had it all printed out.". Follow Luke Jackson on Twitter at @luke_jackson10. That’s what made him a great coach. Emergency NFL QBs Who Have Been Called Into Action. Matte is the last non-quarterback to start at the position in an NFL game. The following week, Tom Matte trotted onto the field to face the Los Angeles Rams at a position he hadn’t played in almost five years.

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