Matt Light
Encyclopedia
Matthew Charles Light is an American football
offensive tackle for the New England Patriots
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Purdue
.
. He attended Greenville High School
, where he played football as a three-year two-way starter. On defense, he played linebacker
and was a second-team Division II all-state selection at the position, and as a senior earned all-county, all-conference, and all-district honors after making 69 tackles and forcing two fumbles. On offense, he played guard as a sophomore, tackle as a junior, and tight end
as a senior, when he caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. He also competed in the shot put
in track and field
, and was a district champion as well as an all-county and all-conference selection.
, beginning his career as a true freshman tight end in 1996, appearing in seven games as a reserve and making one reception for 16 yards. He redshirt
ed the 1997 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in the spring. In 1998, he moved to left tackle, starting 13 games and earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference
selection as part of an offensive line that only allowed 16 sacks of future Super Bowl MVP quarterback
Drew Brees
. In 1999, Light started 12 games for an offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. In his senior season, 2000, Light earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition after starting 12 games at left tackle, helping an offensive line that gave up only seven sacks en route to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl Game
appearance.
by the New England Patriots
. He started 12 of 14 games played during his rookie season in 2001
, helping a Patriots running game which averaged 112.2 yards per game. He was the starting left tackle for an offensive line that led the way for 133 yards on 25 carries (5.3 yard average) in the Patriots 20–17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI
over the St. Louis Rams
. He was named to the Football News 2001 NFL All-Rookie Team following the season. Light returned in 2002
to start all 16 games at left tackle for the Patriots, who missed the playoffs.
In 2003
, Light again started 16 games, and earned his second Super Bowl ring
after helping to not allow a sack against a Carolina Panthers
defensive line in Super Bowl XXXVIII
that featured Kris Jenkins
, Mike Rucker
, Brentson Buckner
and Julius Peppers
. Light was a part of an offensive line that enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in club history in 2004
, starting 16 games at left tackle and helping the team to average more than four yards per carry for the first time in 19 seasons and helping Corey Dillon
set a single season franchise record with 1,635 rushing yards. In October 2004, he signed a six-year contract extension with the team worth $
27 million. He earned his third Super Bowl ring in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles
in Super Bowl XXXIX
.
Light began the 2005 season
just as he did the previous three, starting at left tackle before a broken leg suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers
in Week 3 kept him inactive for the next 11 games and eventually led to his placement on injured reserve
on December 22. He returned in 2006
to start 16 games. He was elected to the 2007 Pro Bowl
, replacing the injured Jonathan Ogden
, which was Light's first career Pro Bowl appearance.
In 2007
, Light started all 16 games and all three playoff games for the Patriots, including their loss to the New York Giants
in Super Bowl XLII
, when the Patriots offensive line allowed eight sacks of quarterback Tom Brady
. He was one of eight Patriots players, and one of three Patriots offensive linemen (joining Dan Koppen
and Logan Mankins
) elected in December 2007 to the 2008 Pro Bowl
.
In the 2008
season, started 16 games for the sixth time in his career. He was ejected from a November 23 game against the Miami Dolphins
for fighting with Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder
, who was also ejected. After being named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team in August 2009, Light started the first five games of 2009
before missing five games due to an injury. He returned in Week 12 and started the remainder of the season at left tackle. In 2010
, Light started all 16 games at left tackle and was named as an injury replacement to the 2011 Pro Bowl
.
On July 31st, 2011, Matt Light signed a two year contract with the New England Patriots.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
.
Early years
Light was born in Greenville, OhioGreenville, Ohio
Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Darke County.-History:Greenville is the historic location of Fort Greene Ville,Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at...
. He attended Greenville High School
Greenville High School (Ohio)
Greenville High School is a public high school in Greenville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Greenville City Schools district.-Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships:* Girls Softball - 2007 -Alumni:...
, where he played football as a three-year two-way starter. On defense, he played linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and was a second-team Division II all-state selection at the position, and as a senior earned all-county, all-conference, and all-district honors after making 69 tackles and forcing two fumbles. On offense, he played guard as a sophomore, tackle as a junior, and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
as a senior, when he caught four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. He also competed in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and was a district champion as well as an all-county and all-conference selection.
College career
Following high school, Light attended Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, beginning his career as a true freshman tight end in 1996, appearing in seven games as a reserve and making one reception for 16 yards. He redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
ed the 1997 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in the spring. In 1998, he moved to left tackle, starting 13 games and earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
selection as part of an offensive line that only allowed 16 sacks of future Super Bowl MVP quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
. In 1999, Light started 12 games for an offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. In his senior season, 2000, Light earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition after starting 12 games at left tackle, helping an offensive line that gave up only seven sacks en route to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
appearance.
New England Patriots
Light was drafted in the second round (48th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He started 12 of 14 games played during his rookie season in 2001
2001 New England Patriots season
The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI....
, helping a Patriots running game which averaged 112.2 yards per game. He was the starting left tackle for an offensive line that led the way for 133 yards on 25 carries (5.3 yard average) in the Patriots 20–17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...
over the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. He was named to the Football News 2001 NFL All-Rookie Team following the season. Light returned in 2002
2002 New England Patriots season
The 2002 New England Patriots season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League and 43rd season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good enough for second in the division but not a playoff berth....
to start all 16 games at left tackle for the Patriots, who missed the playoffs.
In 2003
2003 New England Patriots season
The 2003 New England Patriots season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League and 44th season overall. They finished with a league-best 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVIII....
, Light again started 16 games, and earned his second Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
after helping to not allow a sack against a Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
defensive line in Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
that featured Kris Jenkins
Kris Jenkins
Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins is a former American football nose tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, Mike Rucker
Mike Rucker
Michael Dean Rucker is a former American football defensive end who played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League.-Early years:...
, Brentson Buckner
Brentson Buckner
Brentson André Buckner is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League.-College career:...
and Julius Peppers
Julius Peppers
Julius Frazier Peppers is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Nicknamed The Freak of Nature, he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft...
. Light was a part of an offensive line that enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in club history in 2004
2004 New England Patriots season
The 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
, starting 16 games at left tackle and helping the team to average more than four yards per carry for the first time in 19 seasons and helping Corey Dillon
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon is a former American football running back. He played his ten-season career for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots, wearing jersey number 28 for both teams. Dillon played college football the University of Washington where he wore the number 4.-High school...
set a single season franchise record with 1,635 rushing yards. In October 2004, he signed a six-year contract extension with the team worth $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
27 million. He earned his third Super Bowl ring in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
.
Light began the 2005 season
2005 New England Patriots season
The 2005 New England Patriots season was the 36th season for the team in the National Football League and 46th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and the division title before losing in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos....
just as he did the previous three, starting at left tackle before a broken leg suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in Week 3 kept him inactive for the next 11 games and eventually led to his placement on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
on December 22. He returned in 2006
2006 New England Patriots season
The 2006 New England Patriots season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 47th season overall. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs....
to start 16 games. He was elected to the 2007 Pro Bowl
2007 Pro Bowl
The 2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bowl because of a request by broadcaster CBS....
, replacing the injured Jonathan Ogden
Jonathan Ogden
Jonathan Phillip Ogden is a former American football offensive tackle who played for the Baltimore Ravens.-College:He received his education at St. Albans School, excelling not only in football but also in track and field...
, which was Light's first career Pro Bowl appearance.
In 2007
2007 New England Patriots season
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 48th season overall. They finished with a perfect 16–0 regular season record but lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII....
, Light started all 16 games and all three playoff games for the Patriots, including their loss to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
, when the Patriots offensive line allowed eight sacks of quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...
. He was one of eight Patriots players, and one of three Patriots offensive linemen (joining Dan Koppen
Dan Koppen
Daniel Koppen is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
and Logan Mankins
Logan Mankins
-2005–06 seasons:Mankins was drafted with the final pick of the first round, 32nd overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Despite playing his entire collegiate career as a tackle, Mankins was moved to left guard by the Patriots, where he immediately stepped into the starting...
) elected in December 2007 to the 2008 Pro Bowl
2008 Pro Bowl
The 2008 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC...
.
In the 2008
2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team...
season, started 16 games for the sixth time in his career. He was ejected from a November 23 game against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for fighting with Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder
Channing Crowder
Randolph Channing Crowder, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American...
, who was also ejected. After being named to the Patriots 50th anniversary team in August 2009, Light started the first five games of 2009
2009 New England Patriots season
The 2009 New England Patriots season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and 50th season overall. They finished with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs....
before missing five games due to an injury. He returned in Week 12 and started the remainder of the season at left tackle. In 2010
2010 New England Patriots season
The 2010 New England Patriots season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League and 51st season overall. The Patriots improved on their 10–6 record from 2009 by finishing with a league-best 14–2 record and clinching the top seed in the AFC, before losing to the New York Jets...
, Light started all 16 games at left tackle and was named as an injury replacement to the 2011 Pro Bowl
2011 Pro Bowl
The 2011 AFC–NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2010 season. It took place at 7:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii...
.
On July 31st, 2011, Matt Light signed a two year contract with the New England Patriots.