Matthew Cody Carlson (born November 5, 1963) is a former professional

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 wi ...

player who was selected by the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

in the 3rd round of the 1987 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 200-lb.

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

from

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

, Carlson played in seven NFL seasons and his entire career with the Oilers from 1987 to 1994. His nickname while with the Oilers was Commander Cody.Berkow, Ira
"Carlson Was No Star, and No Moon", ''The New York Times'', January 7, 1991, page C3.

NFL career

Carlson began his career with the

as a backup to

Warren Moon Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton ...

, and his most productive season was during the 1992 season due to Moon getting injured. He passed for 1,710 yards in 11 games (6 starts). Overall, he posted a 10–4 record as a starter during his years as Moon's backup. Moon departed after the 1993 season with Carlson named as his starting replacement. However, he lasted only five games into the 1994 season, posting a 1–4 record and 44.7 completion percentage before he suffered an injury and missed the remainder of the year. The Oilers ended the season with a franchise-worst 2-14 record. The coaching change in the middle of the 1994 season signaled a new direction for the Oilers, and, with Carlson coming off his injury, the team opted to let him go. He retired after the 1994 NFL season. He now lives in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

References

1963 births Living people People from Dallas American football quarterbacks Baylor Bears football players Houston Oilers players {{quarterback-1960s-stub