Matt Stevens, who played football for Chapel Hill High School and won Super Bowl XXXVI with the New England Patriots, died last Thursday. He was 51 years old.
Stevens graduated from Chapel Hill High in 1991 and went on to start for Appalachian State, helping the Mountaineers win the Southern Conference championship in 1995, his senior year. The Buffalo Bills selected Stevens in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and he would play for five different teams before retiring in 2003.
Stevens’ best season as a professional came in 1999 with Washington, when he recorded a career-high seven interceptions in 17 games and also recovered a fumble. In 2001, as a member of the Patriots, he played in 18 games, recorded 43 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery as New England won its first Super Bowl title in franchise history. Stevens then played his final two seasons with the Houston Texans, starting all 16 games during the 2002 campaign.
Stevens has since been inducted into the Chapel Hill High School Hall of Fame and returned to his alma mater to present the school with a commemorative golden football, given to each school which had an alumnus participate in a Super Bowl. He lived in Durham following his playing career. In 2007, Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down after a motorcycle accident injured his spinal cord, but he participated in clinical trials for the ReWalk device in 2011. The wearable exoskeleton eventually helped him regain mobility with the assistance of special leg braces.
Matt Stevens (second from right) presents Chapel Hill High School with a commemorative golden football, honoring his participation in Super Bowl XXXVI. (Image via New England Patriots)
“Matt Stevens’s legacy is marked by his contributions to professional football, his determination to overcome personal adversity, and the inspiration he provided to many through his resilience and dedication,” read a statement from the Patriots released Thursday.
He is survived by his mother Jean Thillberg, his father Vincent Stevens, his brother Mark and his two children, Cassidie and Colin. Information on Stevens’ memorial service can be found here.
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