Ollie Matson
In Ollie Matson’s 1951 senior year at the University of San Francisco, he led the nation in rushing yardage and touchdowns. He led the Dons to an undefeated season. Ollie Matson was selected as an All-American and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy balloting that year. Despite its 9–0 record, the 1951 San Francisco team was not invited to a bowl game. It was later reported that the Orange, Sugar and Gator Bowls—all hosted in the Deep South—did not consider inviting any teams that had any Black players. USF refused to play without their Black teammates.
Ollie Matson was the Chicago Cardinals first-round draft choice, third overall pick, in 1952. He delayed his pro signing so that he could compete as a member of the track team in the 1952 Olympics. Matson hadn’t done much running (except for toting a football) during the previous three years, but Matson worked religiously at preparing to face the world’s best athletes. Perhaps not surprisingly, Matson made the Olympic team and headed to Helsinki, Finland for the 1952 Games. He won a bronze medal in the 400-meter race and a silver medal from the 1,600-meter relay.
When he finally joined the Cardinals in the fall of 1952, he experienced a sensational rookie season. He reunited with his college coach, Joe Kuharich, who became the Cardinals’ coach after the USF program folded following the 1951 season. He was then named to the first of six Pro Bowls, the first of seven All-Pro teams, and was selected Co-Rookie of the Year with the San Francisco 49ers Hugh McElhenny. After his rookie year, Matson reported to Fort Ord, California to do his part for the Korean War effort.
Matson then returned to the Cardinals in time for the 1954 season. Matson continued putting up great numbers for the next few years including an NFL-best 245 punt return yards and two punt return scores in 1955. In each of his six years with Chicago, Matson was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. He proved to be one of the few bright spots for the franchise as the Cards found winning a difficult task. Then, before the 1959 season, the LA Rams made a massive trade for Matson that involved nine players and included a draft pick and a player to be named later.
During Matson’s first year with the club, he tallied nearly 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards along with six touchdowns on the ground. After starting with a bang in Los Angeles, Matson was constantly moved from position to position by coach Bob Waterfield. Then, after four losing seasons in LA, Matson was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1963. A year after not starting a single game for Detroit, Matson was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Matson would start three games total in 1965 and 1966, although in ‘66 he was used primarily as a kick returner and had 544 return yards. After the 1966 season, Matson retired. Matson was a six-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro and would be selected to the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team and was later inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor. During his time as a pro football player, Matson never experienced the playoffs or a championship. In 1972, just six years after his retirement, Matson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.