lit a candle 7 Sept 2026Best lead blocker of his era.
Their story
Matthew Jerome Matt Suhey was born on July 7, 1958, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, into what writers have long called the first family of Penn State football. His maternal grandfather, Bob Higgins, was a Hall of Fame Penn State player and the Nittany Lions' head coach from 1930 to 1948. His…
Matthew Jerome Matt Suhey was born on July 7, 1958, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, into what writers have long called the first family of Penn State football. His maternal grandfather, Bob Higgins, was a Hall of Fame Penn State player and the Nittany Lions' head coach from 1930 to 1948. His father, Steve Suhey, was a College Football Hall of Fame guard and All-American who married Virginia Ginger Higgins. Three Suhey sons (Larry, Paul, and Matt) lettered at Penn State. Matt later watched his own son, Joe, become a fourth-generation Nittany Lion fullback (2007-2011).
Suhey starred at State College Area High School, then rushed for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns at Penn State from 1976 to 1979, adding receiving and punt-return production. He was a two-time first-team All-East selection (1978, 1979). The Chicago Bears drafted him in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft (46th overall). He spent his entire ten-year NFL career (1980-1989) in Chicago. Career totals include 2,946 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 260 receptions for 2,113 yards and five receiving touchdowns across 148 games (100 starts).
Early on he was not Walter Payton's preferred fullback. Payton remained loyal to Roland Harper and, Suhey later recalled, tagged him the short white guy. Respect grew on the field and off. ESPN Chicago's Melissa Isaacson (2010 archive feature) and Dan Pompei's long Athletic profile (October 31, 2024) describe how a shared loss and late-night conversation after Suhey's second season helped open a lifelong bond. Suhey became Payton's primary lead blocker for years when the Bears led the NFL in rushing (1983-1986). Mike Ditka called him as good a blocking fullback as he had seen; running backs coach Johnny Roland nicknamed him a quarterback in the backfield. Teammates and Connie Payton compared their chemistry to unspoken marital intuition. Payton, in Never Die Easy, called them Ebony and Ivory before Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.
On January 26, 1986, in Super Bowl XX at the Louisiana Superdome, Suhey scored the Bears' first touchdown, an 11-yard run that helped launch a 46-10 win over the New England Patriots. He finished with 52 rushing yards on 11 carries and a key 24-yard catch. He later told the Chicago Tribune he felt his grandfather, his father, and George Halas sitting up in heaven chuckling. Payton did not score that day; Suhey remained a quiet companion on the private flight home.
After football, Suhey put a Penn State marketing degree to work: Chicago Board of Trade membership, AquaPenn Spring Water (later sold to Danone), and other ventures including heavy equipment. He married Donna, a Penn State alum; they raised Joe, Allison (neonatal nurse), and Scott (Scotty), born March 4, 1994, with Walter Payton as godfather. The family remained based in the Chicago area.
When Payton fell ill with primary sclerosing cholangitis and related cancer, Suhey drove him to Mayo Clinic appointments, sat through midnight chemo, took long car rides when Payton could no longer drive, and shielded the family's privacy. After Payton's death on November 1, 1999, Suhey served as executor of the estate and steward of Payton's name and likeness, advising Connie, Jarrett, and Brittany for decades without seeking the spotlight. In 2021 he presented roommate and teammate Jimbo Covert into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Matt Suhey died on September 6, 2026, at age 68. NBC Chicago confirmed the death; early reports did not make a cause public. He is remembered as a Super Bowl champion, a Pennsylvania Football All-Century Team honoree, one of the 100 greatest Bears, and, above all, the fullback who cleared lanes for Sweetness and then cleared life's hardest paths for Payton's family.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia Matt Suhey; NBC Chicago 2026-09-06; Bears Wire / USA TODAY; ESPN Chicago Melissa Isaacson; Dan Pompei The Athletic 2024-10-31; Town&Gown / StateCollege.com 2016; Ginger Suhey obituary StateC.
In their own words
“I was the short white guy.”
Matt Suhey recalling Payton's initial coolness (ESPN Chicago, Melissa Isaacson)
“We were Ebony and Ivory before Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.”
Walter Payton on Suhey (Never Die Easy; ESPN Chicago / Athletic)
“I felt like my grandfather, my dad and Mr. Halas were all sitting up in heaven chuckling. I got down to the 4-yard line, and somebody pushed me in.”
Matt Suhey on his Super Bowl XX touchdown (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 27, 1986)
“He was as good a blocking fullback who ever played the game in my opinion.”
Mike Ditka on Suhey (ESPN Chicago)
“He was such a great mentor... And I think it was a way of also remembering Walter Payton because they were so close.”
Jimbo Covert on choosing Suhey as HOF presenter (ChicagoBears.com)
“What people don't know about Jimbo is that he's a prince of a guy, a kind, sweet guy. When you put a football helmet on him, look out.”
Matt Suhey presenting Covert (Canton Repository, 2021)
“Everybody needs someone who they know understands them and doesn't judge them... Matt was that person.”
Connie Payton on Walter's trust in Suhey (ESPN Chicago)
Photos
11985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears White House visit, October 7, 2011 (group/legacy context; not an individual Suhey portrait)
by People Forever
Absolutely. The blocking schemes wouldn't have worked without him.