Matthew Alexander Kopa (born February 25, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

of 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 ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

where he changed positions from defensive to offensive lineman in 2007. Kopa was signed in 2010 by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

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 ...

. On November 9, 2010, Kopa was signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

off of the 49ers practice squad. He later played for the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Early years

Kopa earned many accolades as both an offensive and defensive lineman while attending Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. Kopa burst on to the national spotlight during his Junior year following his outstanding performance at the Palo Alto Nike Camp. In 2004, Kopa was ranked as the #82 player in the nation, and the #7 defensive end in the country according to Rivals.com. He played in the CaliFlorida Bowl at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida on January 2, 2005.

College career

Kopa committed very early in the recruiting process to Stanford, and maintained his allegiance to the Cardinal following the firing of Head Coach Buddy Teevens. He began his career playing on the defensive line for Head Coach Walt Harris. After redshirting his Freshman year, he won the battle for the starting defensive end position in 2006, but suffered a hyperextended elbow during the final week of Training Camp that marginalized his performance until the last month of the season. In 2007,

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...

became the new Head Coach at Stanford, and asked Kopa to move over to the offensive line. As a Junior, Kopa played both as a reserve offensive tackle and tight end. Kopa eventually played in 35 career games with the Cardinal. He had seven starts including starting the final six games of the 2008 season, five at right tackle and one at left guard. Kopa was projected to have a breakout season in 2009 and be one of the top offensive tackles taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he injured his foot while playing in the 2009 season opener against Washington State and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery at Stanford University Hospital. Kopa petitioned the NCAA to play a 6th year, but was denied. Kopa graduated in 2010 from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Professional career

Kopa attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

in 2010, but was still rehabbing from foot surgery and did not participate in the on-field drills. He signed with the

as an

following the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

on June 8, 2010. Kopa was released during final cuts, but was signed to the 49ers' practice squad on September 6, 2010, where he practiced for the first eight games of the season. He was signed by the

as a free agent off the 49ers' practice squad on November 9, 2010. On September 3, 2011, Kopa was cut by the

as part of the final roster cutdowns. On September 5, 2011 Kopa was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

practice squad. On December 3, 2012, Kopa was signed to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

' active roster off the Patriots' practice squad. Kopa injured his back during the 2013 preseason, and was later released by Eagles when they made their final roster cuts on August 30, 2013. Kopa subsequently had several epidural injections while undergoing physical therapy, but eventually had surgery at Stanford University Hospital to repair two ruptured disks as well as several bulging disks. Not wanting to risk further injury he opted to retire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopa, Matt Living people 1987 births American football offensive tackles Stanford Cardinal football players San Francisco 49ers players Miami Dolphins players Philadelphia Eagles players Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California Players of American football from California