Bill Matthews - Inducted 2022

Bill Matthews played seven seasons of pro football, mostly in the NFL, with a couple of seasons in the USFL including three seasons with the New England Patriots. He was a fifth-round pick of the Patriots in the 1978 NFL draft but missed the entire 1978 NFL season with a neck injury. He played in all 48 games for New England from 1979-81. Of his 10 starts with the Patriots, nine came in 1981, when he was the team’s third-leading tackler with 128 total tackles (75 solos and 53 assists). He had 27.5 tackles in 1979. In 1980 he had 23 tackles, nine assists and an interception. He is only one of eight linebackers in Patriots’ history to record a kickoff return, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He was traded to the New York Giants in 1982. He later played with the Denver Gold of the U.S. Football League.

Matthews graduated for Wessington High School in 1974. He was recruited by SDSU as an offensive lineman but switched to the defensive line as a sophomore where he thrived as a three-year starter. A two-time All-North Central Conference performer, Matthews was a first-team All-American and the NCC Most Valuable Defensive Lineman in 1977. He was inducted into the SDSU Hall of Fame in 2006. A versatile, multi-sport high school standout scholar and athlete, he was a five-year starter and two-time all-stater in football and threw discus and ran the 220-yard dash in track. Matthews was all-conference in those sports as well as basketball. After a very successful business career, where he was a leader as well, Matthews decided to give back by sharing his athletic lessons by becoming an award-winning athletic director at Oliver Ames High School in Easton, MA in 2012. He retired in 2022. Matthews and wife, Lynn, have three children Andi, Brenna and Kelly and four grandchildren.