Former Chicago Bears fullback Matt Suhey of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania passed away on Saturday, September 5 at the age of 68 according to Edward Lewis of the New York Post on Wednesday. The cause of death was natural causes.
Suhey played 10 seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1980 to 1989. He had 828 rushes for 2946 rushing yards and 20 touchdown catches. Suhey also had 260 catches for 2113 receiving yards and five touchdowns catches.
On January 26, 1986, Suhey was part of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX. The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46-10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the second biggest blowout in Super Bowl history. The most lopsided Super Bowl all-time was four years later as the San Francisco 49ers clobbered the Denver Broncos by 45 points–55-10.
In Super Bowl XX, Suhey made his presence felt. He had 11 rushes for 52 rushing yards and one touchdown. The major score was for 11 rushing yards and put the Bears up 13-3 in the first quarter. It was the first of five Bears touchdowns in the game. Also in the Super Bowl, Suhey had one catch for 24 receiving yards.
Why Suey was on the football field often was not for his running skills, but his blocking skills. It was his responsibility to block for Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton of Columbia, Mississippi. Six years ago, we rated Payton as the sixth best football player in National Football League history.
In 2019, Suhey was named the 70th best Bears player of all-time. He was initially the Bears’s second round pick in the 1980 NFL Draft. Suhey played his college football at Penn State.
