Robert Matheson (November 25, 1944 – September 5, 1994) was an American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played in three Super Bowls for the Miami Dolphins, including their 1972 and 1973 championships. A linebacker at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

, he was drafted in 1967 by the

Cleveland Brown Cleveland Orenthal Brown Sr. is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy'', and its spin-off series ''The Cleveland Show''. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his mild-mannered ...

s in the first round of the NFL Draft, was the first year of the common draft between the AFL and NFL. He was then acquired by the Dolphins prior to the 1971 season, after Miami defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger requested head coach

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...

to do so. Miami gave up their second round draft pick in 1972 in exchange. Matheson went to Miami one year after the Dolphins acquired Paul Warfield from Cleveland. Matheson was often used by the Dolphins as a fourth linebacker in passing situations. This defensive alignment was often referred to as the "53" defense, named for Matheson's No. 53 jersey. This is also referred to as a

3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs). ...

, with three linemen and four linebackers. After leaving the Dolphins in 1979, Matheson returned to Duke as an assistant coach. He later coached special teams and linebackers for five years with the Miami Dolphins. He then joined Duke alumni John Gutekunst as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota. In 1993, he returned to Duke to work at its Comprehensive Cancer Center. Matheson died on September 5, 1994 at Duke University Hospital from complications of

Hodgkin's disease Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition wa ...

, which he had had for 13 years.

References

1944 births 1994 deaths American football linebackers Cleveland Browns players Duke Blue Devils football coaches Duke Blue Devils football players Miami Dolphins coaches Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches People from Boone, North Carolina Coaches of American football from North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma Deaths from cancer in North Carolina {{linebacker-1940s-stub