Ollie Genoa Matson II (May 1, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was an American Olympic medal winning sprinter and professional football player. He played as a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 to 1966 primarily for the Chicago Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the San Francisco Dons and was selected by the Cardinals in the first round (third overall) of the 1952 NFL draft.
Matson was named an NFL first team All-Pro seven times and selected to the Pro Bowl six times during the course of his professional career. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972, and later included in the NFL's 1950s all-decade team during the league's 100th anniversary celebration.
Matson was born on May 1, 1930, in Trinity, Texas, near Houston. His parents separated when he was young, and his mother moved to California later, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. He moved to San Francisco when he was 14 to rejoin his mother. Matson graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco in 1948. In 1947, he set a San Francisco high school football scoring record with 102 points.
He was a two-sport athlete excelling in track and field as well as football. He won the City Championship in both the 100-yard and 220-yard dashes. In his senior year, he entered an open meet held at Kezar Stadium and ran the 440-yard dash competitively for the first time, chasing Jamaican sprinter Herb McKenley, the holder of the world record to a new record of 46.1 seconds. Matson finished second in 47 seconds. Races were held on cinder tracks in those times.
It was also reported at the time that Matson raced against McKenley at Edwards Field in Berkeley, California on June 5, 1948, where McKenley set a world record of 46 seconds in the 440. Matson ran competitively with McKenley, and gained ground on McKenley in the second half of the race, though McKenley ultimately won with yards to spare. Matson finished the race at 47.1 seconds, then a U.S. high school record.
Matson attended the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) prior to transferring to the University of San Francisco (USF). In his one football season at CCSF, he scored 19 touchdowns and led the team to a Northern California title. He was a first-team Junior College All-American.
As a sophomore at USF in 1949, Matson was considered among the top running backs in the country. He had touchdown runs of 92, 80, 61, 60, and 39 yards, among others, in just his first five games. During those five games, he had over 1,000 total yards from rushing, receiving, and returning punts and kickoffs. USF coach Joe Kuharich, who himself was a star player at Notre Dame and in the NFL said he had seen star professional players who could not do what Matson did on offense; and that in addition, Matson was also a "far greater defensive player".
As a junior in 1950, he had recurrent leg problems and suffered a knee injury. Even though injured, he still scored 81 points, and the Associated Press (AP) named him first team All-Pacific Coast as a defensive back. Matson played in a game in 1950 against the University of Tulsa, even after Tulsa had tried to get USF to leave its black players behind for the game. During the game, the Tulsa players hit him with their fists, knees and elbows, leaving him "'with two black eyes, a bloody nose, and [his] face puffed up like a pound cake". He scored three touchdowns in the game, however, every one of them was called back.
He was also a track star at USF. In 1949, he ran the 100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds, the 220-yard dash in 21.1 seconds, and the 440-yard dash in 47.1 seconds.
In 1951, Matson's senior year at USF, he led the nation in rushing yardage (1,566) and touchdowns (21) en route to leading the Dons to an undefeated season. He had kick returns for two touchdowns on runs of 94 (or 95) and 90 yards in a single game against Fordham. He averaged 51.5 minutes per game, starring on defense as well as offense, with five interceptions and many passes knocked down. He was selected as an AP All-American at defensive back, and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy balloting that year. He also was selected to the International News Service's (INS) All-America team. The INS also selected him to its All-Pacific Coast first team as a running back.
Despite its 9–0 record, the 1951 San Francisco team, which included future NFL Hall of Fame linemen Gino Marchetti and Bob St. Clair, was not invited to a bowl game. It was later reported that the Orange, Sugar and Gator Bowls—all hosted in the Deep South—did not consider inviting any teams that had black players, and USF refused to play without its two African-American members, Matson and Burl Toler. However, it has also been reported that the Dons were invited to play in the Orange Bowl if they did not bring Matson and future NFL game official Burl Toler, the only other black player on the team, to the game. The Dons players, led by Marchetti, unanimously refused to play if it required leaving their teammates behind, and did not participate in the Orange Bowl.
He played in the December 1951 East-West Shrine game, and in the 1952 Chicago College All-Star game against the Los Angeles Rams.
While at USF, Matson became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Prior to joining the National Football League in 1952, Matson competed in track and field as part of the United States Olympic Team in the 1952 Summer Olympics at Helsinki, Finland. Matson won a bronze medal in the 400-meter run and a silver medal as part of the United States 4x400-meter relay team.
Ollie Matson was drafted in the first round of the 1952 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals, third pick overall. He went on to share 1952 Rookie of the Year honors with Hugh McElhenny of the San Francisco 49ers. Matson was named first-team All-Pro by the AP and second-team All-Pro by United Press International (UPI), and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his rookie year, including a 100-yard return, both leading the league; and was second in yards per kickoff return (31.2).
Matson missed the entire 1953 season while serving in the United States Army. During his year of service at Fort Ord, California, he was named the MVP of the All-Army football team, and the Fort Ord team defeated the Quantico Marines Devil Dogs in the December 1953 edition of the Poinsettia Bowl, an armed forces football championship game held several times in the early 1950s, with Matson scoring two touchdowns against the Marines.
Matson returned to the Cardinals in 1954, and averaged 5.0 yards per rushing attempt and 18 yards per reception, while starting in eight games. He had a total of 506 rushing yards and 611 receiving yards, with seven total touchdowns. He had an interception as a defensive back. He returned 11 punts including one for a touchdown, and 17 kickoffs including a 91-yard touchdown return. He was in the top ten players in yards per rushing attempt, yards per reception, and yards per kickoff return. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second time, and was named first-team All-Pro by the AP, UPI, Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and The Sporting News.
In 1955, Matson led the league in punt return total yards (245), longest punt return (78 yards) and punt returns for touchdowns (2), to go along with 712 total yards rushing and receiving. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, and again was named first-team All-Pro by the AP, UPI, The Sporting News and the NEA. In 1956, he had a career high in rushing with 924 yards (4.8 yards per attempt), and a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He was again selected to Pro Bowl, and was again named first-team All-Pro by the AP, NEA and UPI and first-team All-Conference by The Sporting News.