Bob Matheson
No. 56, 53 | |||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Boone, North Carolina,U.S. | November 25, 1944||||
Died: | September 5, 1994 Durham, North Carolina,U.S. | (aged 49)||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Appalachian (Boone, North Carolina) | ||||
College: | Duke | ||||
NFL draft: | 1967/ Round: 1 / Pick: 18 | ||||
Career history | |||||
As a player: | |||||
As a coach: | |||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats atPFR |
Robert Matheson(November 25, 1944 – September 5, 1994) was anAmerican footballlinebackerwho played 13 seasons in theNational Football League(NFL). He played in threeSuper Bowlsfor theMiami Dolphins,including their 1972 and 1973 championships.
A linebacker atDuke University,he was drafted in 1967 by theCleveland Brownsin the first round of the NFL Draft, was the first year of the common draft between the AFL and NFL. He was then acquired by the Dolphins prior to the 1971 season, after Miami defensive coordinatorBill Arnspargerrequested head coachDon Shulato do so. Miami gave up their second round draft pick in 1972 in exchange.[1]Matheson went to Miami one year after the Dolphins acquiredPaul Warfieldfrom Cleveland.
Matheson was often used by the Dolphins as a fourth linebacker in passing situations. This defensive alignment was often referred to as the "53" defense, named for Matheson's No. 53 jersey. This is also referred to as a3–4 defense,with three linemen and four linebackers.[citation needed]
After leaving the Dolphins in 1979, Matheson returned to Duke as an assistant coach. He later coached special teams and linebackers for five years with the Miami Dolphins. He then joined Duke alumniJohn Gutekunstas an assistant coach at theUniversity of Minnesota.In 1993, he returned to Duke to work at its Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Matheson died on September 5, 1994, atDuke University Hospitalfrom complications ofHodgkin's disease,which he had had for 13 years.[2]
References
[edit]- ^"Matheson Swells Linebacking Corp".The Miami News.Miami, Florida.September 2, 1971. p. 20.RetrievedOctober 10,2018– viaNewspapers.com
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- ^"Bob Matheson; Football Player, 49".The New York Times.September 7, 1994.RetrievedNovember 9,2007.
- 1944 births
- 1994 deaths
- American football linebackers
- Cleveland Browns players
- Duke Blue Devils football coaches
- Duke Blue Devils football players
- Miami Dolphins coaches
- Miami Dolphins players
- Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches
- People from Boone, North Carolina
- Coaches of American football from North Carolina
- Players of American football from North Carolina
- Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma
- Deaths from cancer in North Carolina
- Deaths from lymphoma in the United States
- American football linebacker, 1940s birth stubs