Robert Nathan Mathis (born February 26, 1981) 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 wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

and outside linebacker who played his entire 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts 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 ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marsh ...

and was drafted by the Colts in the fifth round of the

2003 NFL Draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. T ...

. A five-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

er, Mathis won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts in 2006 over the Chicago Bears. He is also the NFL's all-time leader in forced fumbles and strip sacks. The year after retiring, Mathis joined the Colts as an assistant defensive coach.

Early years

Mathis was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. He attended McNair High School in Atlanta. He was classmates with

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

College career

Mathis enrolled in at

, where he was a four-year starter for the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Nu Epsilon chapter.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

2003–2005

Mathis was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 138th selection in the

. Mathis immediately stepped in during his rookie season as a pass rush specialist, playing in all 16 regular season games and recording 20 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. During his second season, Mathis took another step forward as he increased his numbers to 36 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles, despite appearing only as a specialist and starting only 1 game. In Mathis's third season, he set a Colts franchise record with 8 consecutive games with at least 1 sack, and finished the season with 54 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles, despite missing three games due to injuries.

2006–2011

Following the 2005 season, Robert Mathis signed a 5-year extension with the Colts worth $30 million, making him one of the highest paid defensive ends in the league at the time. The following season, Mathis started every game for the first time in his career, recording a career-high 65 tackles along with 9.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. That year, Mathis helped the Colts go on to beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI to become NFL Champions. In 2007, Mathis recorded 32 tackles, 7 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in an injury shortened season. In 2008, Mathis had his best statistical season to date, posting 48 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. He was also voted to the 2009 Pro Bowl for the AFC behind then-teammate and perennial Pro-Bowler

Dwight Freeney Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 19, 1980) is an American former football player who played as a defensive end and outside linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse University, whe ...

In November 2009, Mathis won his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Month award, and finished the season with 37 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles. He would win his second such award for his defensive performance in September 2010, and would finish 2010 with 60 tackles, 11 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Mathis recorded 9.5 sacks during the 2011 regular season, along with 43 tackles and 3 forced fumbles. It was the seventh season in his 9-year NFL career that he had at least 9.5 sacks. On January 2, 2012 Mathis was added to the AFC Pro Bowl Roster to replace Patriots DE

Andre Carter Rubin Andre Carter (born May 12, 1979) is an American football coach recently for Louisiana State University and former player in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive end, he played college football for the University of California ...

. On January 23, 2012 Mathis decided not to play in Pro Bowl. Mathis recorded 33 tackles, 8 sacks, and 1 forced fumble in 12 games during the 2012 season.

2012–2016

On March 5, 2012, Mathis signed a one-year tender worth $10.6 million. He then signed a four-year $36 million contract on the same day. Mathis began playing strong-side outside linebacker under new Colts head coach Chuck Pagano during the 2012 season. He recorded his first interception against Detroit Lions quarterback

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...

in a 35-33 win during week 13. In week 5 of the 2013 season against the Seattle Seahawks, Mathis recorded the 100th sack of his career. He became the 30th player in league history to accomplish the feat. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, the third time he has won the award. On November 24, 2013 during a game against the Cardinals, Mathis recorded his 40th career strip sack, breaking the previous record held by Jason Taylor. In a Week 15 matchup with the Houston Texans on December 15, 2013, Mathis sacked quarterback Case Keenum giving him the Colts' single-season record of 16.5 sacks and the franchise record of 108.0 career sacks, breaking marks previously held by

, his former teammate. It was also his 42nd strip sack of his career, adding to his NFL record of career sack forced fumbles. Mathis would lead the NFL in sacks with 19.5, a half sack more than Robert Quinn of the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

. He was awarded the inaugural

Deacon Jones David D. "Deacon" Jones (December 9, 1938 – June 3, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. H ...

award for leading the NFL in sacks, and also won his second AFC Defensive Player of the Month award of the 2013 season for his performance in December. He finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Luke Kuechly of the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. On May 16, 2014, it was announced that Mathis would serve a 4-game suspension for violating the leagues' drug policy. Mathis issued a statement later that day claiming that his violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy was due to taking unapproved fertility drugs to conceive a child. On September 8, 2014, it was reported that Mathis had torn his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

while working out on his own, sidelining him for the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

. The Colts signed Mathis to a one-year extension on September 30, 2014. During the 2015 season, Mathis won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for Week 16 after totalling two sacks against the Dolphins, including one to end the game. Coincidentally, former teammate Dwight Freeney won the award for the NFC for the same week. On December 30, 2016, Mathis announced that he would retire following the Colts Week 17 game against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. In the game Mathis recorded three tackles and a strip sack, which was the 123rd sack of his career. He passed former teammate Dwight Freeney (122.5) for 17th most sacks in NFL history, and extended his own record for most career strip sacks (47). For his efforts in the game, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Mathis appeared as himself in the episode " Fluoride" of the comedy television series '' Parks and Recreation,'' alongside teammates

Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during hi ...

Reggie Wayne Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...

Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...

Anthony Castonzo Anthony Salvatore Castonzo (born August 9, 1988) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played his entire 10-year professional career with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). After a college career at Bos ...

, and Colts owner

Jim Irsay James Irsay (born June 13, 1959) is an American businessman, known for being the principal owner, chairman and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Irsay's father, Robert Irsay, built a fortune estimated to be ...

. In 2017, Mathis joined the Colts coaching staff as a Pass Rush Consultant.

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Robert 1981 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta African-American players of American football American football defensive ends American football linebackers Alabama A&M Bulldogs football players Indianapolis Colts players American Conference Pro Bowl players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people 100 Sacks Club Ed Block Courage Award recipients