Matthew Arthur Grootegoed (born May 6, 1982) is a former American college and professional football player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He played college football for the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, and was recognized as an All-American. He was signed by the NFL's Detroit Lions as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2005, and also played for the CFL's

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

in 2009.

Early years

Grootegoed was born in Huntington Beach, California. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, with

Matt Leinart Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at USC, where he won the Heisman Trophy ...

. The Mater Dei Monarch Lions

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team won three

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have a ...

(CIF) championships while he was a member. As a junior in 1998, he rushed for more than 1,600 yards with twenty-one touchdowns on offense, and made 130 tackles, six forced fumbles and three interceptions on defense. In the CIF Division I championship game, which Mater Dei won, he earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Game honors (he ran for 244 yards, with a 7.4 average, and two touchdowns). Following the season, he was selected as a Student Sports Junior All-American, Cal-Hi All-State first-team, All-CIF Southern Section first-team, All-CIF Division I Defensive Most Valuable Player (MVP), ''Los Angeles Times'' All-Orange County Back of the Year and ''Orange County Register'' All-Orange County Defensive MVP. During his 1999 senior season, he made 138 tackles, six interceptions (including two touchdown returns), seven tackles for losses and two forced fumbles as a free safety, and ran for 945 yards on 116 carries with fourteen touchdowns as a running back. He also played quarterback early in the season, completing 21 of 41 passes for 300-plus yards. Afterward, he was selected for the ''USA Today'' All-USA first-team, ''Parade'' All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, ESPN All-American, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first-team, All-CIF Southern Section first-team, and received the All-CIF Division I Defensive MVP Award, ''Los Angeles Times'' Glenn Davis Award, Los Angeles Times All-Orange County first-team, Orange County Register All-Orange County Defensive MVP and All-Serra League MVP.

College career

Grootegoed received an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

to attend the University of Southern California, where he was a four-year starter for coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 ...

team from 2000 to 2004. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2000, he earned a spot in the Trojans' starting line-up. Carroll said of him "Things just happen when he's on the field. He knocks the ball down, knocks the ball loose, forces plays in the backfield and makes plays getting off blocks. You can't hold him down." While Grootegoed played for the Trojans, the team won three straight Pacific-10 Conference championships (2002, 2003, 2004) and two consecutive Associated Press (AP) national championships in 2003 and 2004. He was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2003. Following his senior season in 2004, he was a finalist for the

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

, and was recognized as a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a consensus first-team All-American.

Professional career

National Football League

On April 26, 2005, Grootegoed was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

following the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also he ...

, eventually released to their practice squad, and was later picked up by the Detroit Lions. Grootegoed played for the Lions in the final three games of their season.

Canadian Football League

Grootegoed played for the CFL's

from to , and was a member of the Stampeders'

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Grey Cup championship team. The Stampeders released Grootegoed on September 9, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grootegoed, Matt Living people 1982 births American football linebackers American players of Canadian football Canadian football linebackers Calgary Stampeders players Detroit Lions players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players USC Trojans football players All-American college football players Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California Players of American football from California