About the Book
An intimate look and "a detailed account" (Booklist) of the career of Baltimore Colts’ running back Tom Matte and his celebrated stint as an emergency quarterback.
In 1965, Colts’ running back Tom Matte became the first emergency quarterback in NFL history when both the legendary Johnny Unitas and his backup were hurt in consecutive weeks late in the season. Wearing a wristband to remember the plays, Matte ultimately played three consecutive games at quarterback for the Colts: the first a must-win game against the Los Angeles Rams, followed by a controversial playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, and finally a victory over the Dallas Cowboys in what was formerly known as the Runner-up Bowl.
In Last Man Standing: How Tom Matte's Memorable 1965 Season Highlighted a Remarkable NFL Career, Joel Poiley provides a vivid account of this legendary period in Matte’s life as well as the lasting impact of his football career on the NFL and the Colts organization through exclusive interviews with Matte himself, his teammates, opponents, family, and friends. A first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 1961, Matte played twelve years for the Colts. He played in some of the most controversial and memorable NFL games of that era, and still holds the Super Bowl record for highest per-carry rushing average. Matte’s legacy in Baltimore extended far beyond the playing field though, with his affable, exuberant personality and contributions to the Ravens making him as popular among Baltimore fans as his more celebrated teammates. A fun throwback filled with insights into the workings and history of the NFL, this is a must-read for all football fans.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Jack Nicklaus
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Last Man Standing
Chapter 2: We Were Robbed
Chapter 3: A Passing Phenomenon
Chapter 4: Much More than the Garbage Man
Chapter 5: Super Bowl III
Chapter 6: How Super Bowl III Changed the NFL
Chapter 7: The Winds of Change
Chapter 8: Easy Rider, A New League, and Cheering from the Sideline
Chapter 9: Super Bowl V – Aesthetics Be Damned
Chapter 10: Good to Be Back
Chapter 11: A Good Run with No Regrets
Chapter 12: Always on the Move
Chapter 13: Baltimore – A Team and a Town
Chapter 14: Robert Irsay and NFL Limbo
Chapter 15: Colts to Ravens – The Torch Is Passed
Epilogue
Notes
Index
About the Author
About the Author :
Joel Poiley has more than forty-five years of journalism experience with newspapers, wire services, television stations, magazines, and websites. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, USA Today Sports Weekly, Baseball America, Beckett’s Baseball Monthly, Legends Magazine, ESPN.com, and other national media outlets.
Review :
Although not a household name nationally, Tom Matte is a fan favorite from the early days of Baltimore Colts football. The Ohio State University quarterback was picked by Baltimore in the first round of the 1961 NFL draft, and he enjoyed a successful 12-year career as a running back for the Colts. Poiley, a veteran sports journalist, begins the story when Matte was enlisted to play quarterback for the Colts, replacing an injured Johnny Unitas. Through extensive research, including interviews with Matte and many others, Poiley renders a detailed account of games throughout Matte’s career including the heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl III to Joe Namath’s New York Jets and the triumph of winning Super Bowl V in 1970. Known for his affable personality and pride for the city where he played, Matte advocated fiercely to get football back in Baltimore when the Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and was a Baltimore Ravens radio announcer from 1996–2005. This account will appeal to Baltimore football fans as well as those interested in the personalities that propelled the NFL into the Superbowl era.
Tom Matte is a true legend in every sense of the word. He was everything you’d want in a football player but offered even more as a human being. Readers will feel just how talented, funny, and larger than life he was—all of which my family was fortunate enough to experience up close. Last Man Standing is a masterful ode to a man deserving of celebration.
When I was growing up, Tom Matte was one of my favorite players. Last Man Standing gives you an inside look at the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to his teammates that made him such an important part of those Baltimore Colts championship teams. It also shows you why a generation later, when I was head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, I was looking for players just like Tom Matte.
The NFL was a very different game on and off the field in the 1960s. As captured in Last Man Standing, Tom Matte stood out in many ways, especially his effervescent personality. He was Chatty Matte, always talking and laughing while rarely making a mistake. This counted big time in the football mind of the football genius Johnny Unitas. Matte was outgoing, courageous, bright, and always fun to be around. He always made the biggest plays in the biggest games. He has my greatest admiration.
From the foreword:Tom was a Super Bowl champion (Super Bowl V) and a two-time All-Pro, all for the then-Baltimore Colts. He was a great guy, a great friend, and his life on and off the football field was full, and like Tom, never boring.
Tom Matte was more than an accomplished football player. He was a Baltimore folk hero and a near-mythical figure who in 1965 became the centerpiece of an epic story. Fortunately, in Last Man Standing, author Joel Poiley chronicles what happened that season to Matte and the Colts when the team’s running back was thrust into an emergency and responded by turning in a series of performances that were more than inspirational; they were legendary. Tom Matte was a charismatic individual who was revered by teammates, adored by fans, and as beloved in Baltimore as Unitas, Berry, or Moore. He wasn’t the best of a litany of Baltimore Colts’ stars, but he was one of the franchise’s most valuable and cherished players. Thank you, Joel Poiley, for bringing him to life again and helping us remember why Tom Matte’s story still resonates with football followers everywhere.
