| No. 26 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | July 7, 1958 Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | September 6, 2026 (aged 68) Deerfield, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
Listed weight | 217 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | State College Area (State College, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College | Penn State (1976–1979) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1980: 2nd round, 46th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Matthew Jerome Suhey (July 7, 1958 – September 6, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Suhey won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Bears while scoring a touchdown in the game and was named to the Pennsylvania Football All-Century Team.
Before his NFL career, Suhey played college football at Pennsylvania State University from 1976 to 1979, rushing for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also catching 39 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, along with 21 punt returns for 252 yards and another touchdown. Suhey scored the first touchdown for the Bears in the team's Super Bowl XX victory, carrying the ball in on an 11-yard run. He finished the game with 52 yards on 11 carries and one reception for 24 yards.
Suhey was the lead blocker and friend of Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton. He was also a close friend of the Payton family, and the executor of the Payton estate since the death of Walter. In a 24–3 victory over the Detroit Lions on November 10, 1985, Payton (107) and Suhey (102) both eclipsed the 100-yard mark, becoming the fourth Bears duo to ever accomplish the feat.
Although Suhey was never a leader in any statistical category, he became a fan favorite for his personality and blocking ability. Suhey was ranked No. 78 on the Chicago Sun-Times list of the 100 Greatest Bears of All Time for the team's 100th season in 2019. A similar list compiled by the Bears in 2019 ranked him No. 70.
Born on July 7, 1958 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Suhey was one of three sons of College Football Hall of Fame guard Steve Suhey to letter at Penn State University and a grandson of Hall of Fame Penn State player and coach Bob Higgins. His son, Joe Suhey, was a fullback at Penn State from 2007 to 2011. The Higgins–Suhey family is often referred to as the "first family of Penn State football" due to their affiliation with the program spanning four generations.
Suhey died at his home in Deerfield, Illinois, on September 6, 2026, at the age of 68.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1980 | CHI | 16 | 1 | 22 | 45 | 2.0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 21 | 0 |
| 1981 | CHI | 15 | 14 | 150 | 521 | 3.5 | 26 | 3 | 33 | 168 | 5.1 | 15 | 0 |
| 1982 | CHI | 9 | 8 | 70 | 206 | 2.9 | 15 | 3 | 36 | 333 | 9.3 | 45 | 0 |
| 1983 | CHI | 16 | 13 | 149 | 681 | 4.6 | 39 | 4 | 49 | 429 | 8.8 | 52 | 1 |
| 1984 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 124 | 424 | 3.4 | 21 | 4 | 42 | 312 | 7.4 | 23 | 2 |
| 1985 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 115 | 471 | 4.1 | 17 | 1 | 33 | 295 | 8.9 | 35 | 1 |
| 1986 | CHI | 16 | 14 | 84 | 270 | 3.2 | 17 | 2 | 24 | 235 | 9.8 | 58 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHI | 12 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 3.4 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 54 | 7.7 | 12 | 0 |
| 1988 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 87 | 253 | 2.9 | 19 | 2 | 20 | 154 | 7.7 | 29 | 0 |
| 1989 | CHI | 16 | 0 | 20 | 51 | 2.6 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 73 | 8.1 | 22 | 1 |
| Career | 148 | 100 | 828 | 2,946 | 3.6 | 39 | 20 | 260 | 2,113 | 8.1 | 58 | 5 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1984 | CHI | 2 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 2.3 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 8.8 | 33 | 0 |
| 1985 | CHI | 3 | 3 | 23 | 108 | 4.7 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1986 | CHI | 1 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHI | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2.0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1988 | CHI | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | 9 | 9 | 43 | 156 | 3.6 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 96 | 7.4 | 33 | 0 | |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Suhey, 68, was found on Sunday at his home in Deerfield, Illinois. A spokesperson for the Lake County Coroner's Officer told The California Post that the initial police investigation "revealed that there were no suspicious circumstances" in his death.