Clay Matthews III life and biography

Clay Matthews III is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.

Highlights:

• Set a Packers rookie record with 10 sacks in 2009 on his way to earning Pro Bowl honors, the first Packers rookie to be named to the all-star game since WR James Lofton in 1978.
• Selected to the Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-Rookie team, earned ‘Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week’ honors twice (Weeks 6 and 10), and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week once (Week 13).
• Came to Southern California as a walk-on linebacker in 2004 and finished his career by earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors as a senior in 2008.
• Father, Clay Jr., played linebacker for 19 seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (1978-93) and Atlanta Falcons (1994-96), and his grandfather, Clay Sr., played defensive end for four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (1950, ‘53-55).
• When Clay took the field for the first time with the Packers in the ’09 opener, the Matthews family became only the second one with three generations of NFL players, joining the Pynes (George Pyne Jr., George Pyne III and Jim Pyne).
• First linebacker ever selected out of Southern California by the Packers in the first round of the draft, and was the first player GM Ted Thompson ever traded up into the first round to select in the 10 drafts he has run.

PRO CAREER:
Athletic outside linebacker burst onto the NFL scene in his first season, posting a franchise rookie-record 10 sacks on his way to being named to the Pro Bowl... Became first Packers rookie since WR James Lofton in 1978 to be selected to the all-star game... Selected to the Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-Rookie team, earned ‘Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week’ honors twice (Weeks 6 and 10), and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week once (Week 13)... Finished third in The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting... Posted three two-sack games on the season, a franchise rookie record... Rookie season got off to a slow start when a hamstring injury sidelined him for the first three preseason games, but went on to play in all 16 games and the team’s playoff contest... Started for the first time at ROLB in Week 4 at Minnesota, a spot he held for the rest of the season... Known for his versatility, intelligence and high motor on the field coming out of USC, became the first player GM Ted Thompson moved up into the first round to select in the 10 drafts he had run to that point (five each with Seattle and Green Bay)... The Packers acquired the pick from the Patriots, along with a fifth-round pick (No. 162 overall), in exchange for Green Bay’s second-round choice (No. 41 overall) and two third-round selections (Nos. 73 and 83)... Former walk-on went on to play in four straight Rose Bowls and the 2009 Senior Bowl... Finished his career with 96 tackles, including 5½ sacks and 13½ tackles for loss in 50 games played with 10 starts... Earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors as a senior, and was part of a defense that included fellow first-round pick LB Brian Cushing (Houston) and second-round selection LB Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati)... Played in all 13 games with 10 starts as a senior in ’08, opening up the final 10 games of the season as a stand-up defensive end on the right side... Contributed primarily on special teams in his first three seasons, and won USC’s Co-Special Teams Player of the Year Award each of his final three seasons with the Trojans.

2009 : Played in all 16 games with 13 starts at ROLB, and started the team’s playoff contest... Was named to the Pro Bowl, becoming the first Packers rookie since Lofton in 1978 to earn the recognition... Was also selected to the Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-Rookie team... Finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting... Led the team with 10 sacks, the most by a Packers rookie in franchise history since stat became official in 1982... Became only the second Green Bay rookie to lead the team in sacks (Tim Harris, 1986)... His 10 sacks ranked second in the NFL among rookies behind only Washington’s Brian Orakpo (11.0)... Led the team with three fumble recoveries, which led all NFL rookies, including one he returned for a TD... Registered 58 tackles (42 solo), a forced fumble, six passes defensed, and a team-leading 35 QB hits... Sidelined for first three preseason games due to an injured hamstring that he aggravated in Aug. 6 night practice... Originally suffered hamstring injury during USC Pro Day and aggravated in May during OTAs... Vs. Cincinnati (Sept. 20): Posted the first sack of his career when he brought down QB Carson Palmer for a 9-yard loss in the second quarter... At Minnesota (Oct. 5): Started the first game of his career, opening at ROLB as team came out in nickel package. Late in the second quarter, stripped Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson of the ball on a rushing play and went untouched down the right sideline for a 42-yard TD; the score was the longest fumble return for a TD by a Packers rookie in franchise history... Vs. Detroit (Oct. 18): Started for the first time in Green Bay’s base defense at ROLB, and posted a career-high 2.0 sacks, the first Green Bay rookie to do so since Vonnie Holliday (Nov. 15, 1998, at N.Y. Giants). Added five tackles (four solo), and was in on two stops for a loss. Earned ‘Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week’ honors, voted on by fans at NFL.com, for his performance... Vs. Dallas (Nov. 15): Recovered two fumbles to become the first Packers rookie to do so in a game since Val Joe Walker on Nov. 26, 1953, at Detroit. Second one came on a Charles Woodson sack/forced fumble of QB Tony Romo; scooped ball up at the Dallas 7 and returned 4 yards to the 3 to set up an Aaron Rodgers TD pass to Spencer Havner three plays later. Also posted sack of Romo in the second quarter when he beat veteran LT Flozell Adams, and matched career high with four QB hits. Earned ‘Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week’ honors for the performance... At Baltimore (Dec. 7): Matched his career-high with 2.0 sacks and added six tackles (all solo) and three QB hits on his way to earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week recognition... At Pittsburgh (Dec. 20): Recorded a career-high eight tackles, two sacks, three QB hits, two pressures and a tackle for loss. Became first rookie in team history to post three two-sack games in a season, and it gave him a sack in four straight games, a team rookie record... At Arizona (Jan. 3): Led team with a career-high seven QB hits and added four pressures... At Arizona (NFC Wild Card, Jan. 10): Led the LBs with seven tackles (five solo) and added three QB hits and two pressures. Beat LT Jeremy Bridges off the edge to sack QB Kurt Warner on first-quarter flea-flicker; also forced a fumble on the sack, but Bridges recovered. With the Packers trailing 17-0 early in the second quarter and the Cardinals threatening again, recovered fumble by WR Larry Fitzgerald that was forced by Woodson at the Arizona 19; returned the fumble 29 yards out to Green Bay’s 48. Became first NFL rookie in playoff history (since sacks became a stat in 1982) to record a sack, a forced fumble and a defensive fumble recovery in the same game... 2009 Draft: Drafted by the Packers with the second of two first-round picks (No. 26 overall), the first time Green Bay had two selections in the first round since 1993. Became the first player Thompson moved up into the first round to select in the 10 drafts he had run to that point (five each with Seattle and Green Bay). Was the third LB selected in the first round by the Packers in the last seven drafts, joining Nick Barnett (2003) and A.J. Hawk (2006). Became the first LB ever selected out of Southern California by Green Bay in the first round.

PERSONAL:

Born William Clay Matthews III in Northridge, Calif. Comes from a football family... Father, Clay Jr., played LB in the NFL for 19 seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1978-93) and the Atlanta Falcons (1994-96), and was a four-year letterman (1974-77) at Southern California... His older brother, Kyle, lettered at S on USC’s 2003 national championship team, and younger brother, Casey, is a senior LB at Oregon... Uncle, Bruce, played OL for 19 seasons (1983-2001) with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007...Cousin, Kevin, played C at Texas A&M, and is now with the Tennessee Titans... High school: Four-year letterman at Agoura High in Agoura Hills, Calif.

Earned All-CIF first-team honors at LB as a senior in 2003... Played for father in high school as Clay Jr. was team’s defensive coordinator... Also played tight end... Lettered two years in basketball... Community involvement: Visited with students at St. Mark Lutheran School in Green Bay as a reward for being one of the top donors in the in-school food drive.

As Hobbies/interests: Interned at NFL Network in the summer of 2006... Hobbies include watching movies, spending time with his family and hunting... His favorite TV shows are Entourage, Eastbound & Down, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Modern Family and Spartacus... Lists favorite books as The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

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