Baltimore Colts Legend Tom Matte Dies At 82

Baltimore Colts legend Tom Matte, who played 12 years for the Colts and was later a radio analyst for Ravens games, passed away Nov. 2. He was 82.

Matte, who was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Northeast Ohio, was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) out of Ohio State by the Colts. The 6-foot, 214-pound running back played for Baltimore from 1961-1972, racking up 4,646 yards and 45 touchdowns on the ground and 2,869 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air. He earned Pro Bowl nods in 1968 and 1969 and was a first-team All-Pro in 1969.

Perhaps Matte’s most memorable stretch as a Colt came in 1965, when he started three games at quarterback after starter Johnny Unitas and backup Gary Cuozzo went down with injuries. Baltimore head coach Don Shula had Matte write down the plays on his wristband to help him run the offense.

Matte talked about his time as the quarterback of the Colts when he joined Glenn Clark Radio on May 4, 2020 to talk about Shula, who had just passed away.

“I have very small hands. I couldn’t even put my hand around the ball,” Matte said. “Unitas, he’d wrap almost all the way around the football, so he could always throw that wonderful spiral. All my receivers, especially Jimmy Orr, used to laugh. He said, ‘Well, the one thing about Tom Matte, he throws that option ball.’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about, option ball?’ He said, ‘You could catch it at either end.'”

Matte helped Baltimore win the NFL title in 1968 and advance to Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost to the underdog New York Jets, 16-7. Baltimore won Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13, as part of the 1970 season, but Matte only played two games that season due to injury. Still, he earned a ring — and he later got another ring as a broadcaster for the 2000 Ravens.

Matte rushed 11 times for 116 yards and caught two passes for 30 yards in Super Bowl III.

“That was a toughie for us,” Matte said. “We just came up short. I had probably one of my better games in my life. When you lose, it don’t mean diddly.”

Matte, synonymous with Baltimore football, was a radio analyst during Ravens games from 1996-2005, with his excitement during big plays a defining feature of the broadcasts. He and his wife, Judy, continued living in Towson after he retired. He is survived by his wife, their two children, Roland and Kate, and his grandchildren.

Scott Garceau and Tom Matte at Super Bowl XXXV
Scott Garceau and Tom Matte at Super Bowl XXXV (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens)

“We’ve had a good life here in Baltimore. We really have,” Matte said. “The people have been wonderful to us. This is home.”

Even with all the injuries that come with a 12-year NFL career, Matte said he wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“We’re very fortunate, and I played with some of the greatest players like Lenny Moore and Jim Parker,” Matte said. “John Unitas is in a status all by himself. Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti. I got to play with all of the top-tier guys that ever played here in Baltimore.”

Listen to Tom Matte’s full interview with Glenn Clark Radio from May 4, 2020 here:

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts


Luke Jackson

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