Jonathan Lintner, jlintner@courier-journal.com 1:45 p.m. EST January 20, 2015
The Seattle Seahawks' Chris Matthews and DeShawn Shead celebrate after an overtime win in Sundays NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.(Photo: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Chris Matthews, former Foot Locker worker and security guard, will on Feb. 1 become the 30th former University of Kentucky player to suit up for a Super Bowl team.
The Seattle Seahawks might not be headed to a meeting with the New England Patriots if not for Matthews, who recovered the pivotal onside kick during the fourth quarter of Sunday's overtime victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.
Matthews, a backup Seahawks receiver, said he was looking to make a tackle before he realized the Packers' Brandon Bostick bobbled the kick. So he went up for the ball and made the biggest play of his career.
"It was just a surreal moment for me," said Matthews, who told Sports Illustrated he nearly skipped out on his chance to try out for an NFL team, which called one day this time last year and requested he fly to Seattle that same night.
"I don't get off of work until 9 p.m.," he told the Seahawks. "I don't know if I'll make it."
Of course, Matthews came to his senses. And though he made just three appearances at receiver this season and didn't catch a ball, the work paid off on that kick with 2:09 left to go in regulation Sunday.
The 6-foot-5 receiver transferred to UK from Los Angeles Harbor College in 2009. In his second and senior season as a Wildcat, Matthews broke out to catch 61 passes for 925 yards and nine touchdowns two more scores through the air than Randall Cobb, a college teammate who plays for the Packers and made this year's Pro Bowl.
Matthews' name wasn't called during the NFL draft, though. He was later cut from the Cleveland Browns' roster and instead signed on with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, where he went on to become the Rookie of the Year.
An injury limited Matthews' second year, and then it was off to Foot Locker and working as a security guard at least until the Seahawks called.
"Man, I almost messed up, bad," Matthews told SI of nearly skipping the tryout. "And look at this now."
Seahawks teammate Jermaine Kearse, speaking at a press conference Monday, simply referred to the onside kick recovery as "the Chris Matthews play."
"That was huge," Kearse added. "I talk to Chris a lot and just to see his progression, even when he was on practice squad and when he got activated to the 53, just to see him maximize opportunities is definitely joyful."
Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.
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Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/01/20/ex-kentucky-football-player-chris-matthews-surprising-seattle-seahawks-star/22046805/
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