NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 5 - Ira Matthews, East

Standing 5-8 and weighing 175 pounds in his prime, Ira Matthews had a tough time convincing coaches that he was a workhorse ball carrier. Instead, he settled for being that rare player who could win a game with five or six touches a game.

Matthews was one of the constellation of stars that formed perhaps the greatest collection of talent in NIC-10 history. The East E-Rabs went 22-0 in 1973 and 1974, winning the Class 4A title in the first year of the state playoffs.  

With so much talent, Matthews had to share the ball with running backs Russell Pope and Joe Black and quarterback Dean Schlueter. His high school career totals of 1,235 yards rushing and 663 yards receiving don't even rank in the top 30 all-time in the NIC-10. But he had an amazing knack for the big play. He scored touchdowns on 14 of his 168 carries at East, averaging 7.4 yards a run. He added eight more as a receiver, averaging 17.4 yards per catch. He also added one touchdown each on an interception return, kickoff return and punt return.

Matthews was one of five E-Rabs from 1974 to play Division I college football at the highest level. He and lineman George Wojtowicz went to Wisconsin where Matthews reprised his big-play role for the mostly middling Badgers.

In four years at Wisconsin, he gained 2,268 yards from scrimmage, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 12.8 yards per reception, scoring 13 touchdowns. He added another 588 yards and three touchdowns returning punts and kickoffs. He led the NCAA in punt return average his senior year, averaging 16.9 yards per return.

Al Davis drafted Matthews in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL draft and he made one of the league's most prestigious franches as a kick return specialist.

Matthews played every game of the 1979 and 1980 seasons. He rarely appeared as a running back. In three years with the Raiders, he had just seven rush attempts and three pass receptions. He excelled as a returner, though. He finished second in the NFL in kickoff return average in 1979, including returning one kick for a 104-yard touchdown. In 1980, he was fourth in the NFL in punt return yardage.

The 1980 Raiders made it all the way to the 1981 Super Bowl where Oakland trounced Philadelphia, 27-10. Matthews returned two kickoffs and one punt during the game.

In 1981, Matthews got hurt five games into the season. In 1982, the Raiders traded him to the Green Bay where he was supposed to team up with James Lofton and John Jefferson, but he tore a hamstring and never appeared.

In the end, Matthews played 41 games in the NFL, including playoffs.

No. 5 - Ira Matthews, East
Year	Level	Team	Accomplishments	Points
1973	High School	East	Special Mention All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Top Four Ranking	1
1974	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	1
			League Leader (Yards/Carry)	1
			Winning Record	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
			All-State	1
1975	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1976	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1977	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1978	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			League Leader	1
			Winning Record	1
1979	NFL	Oakland	6th Round Draft Pick	5
			Played in NFL	3
			All-Conference Player	1
1980	NFL	Oakland	Played in NFL	3
			Playoff Team	1
			Super Bowl	1
			NFL Champion	1
1981	NFL	Oakland	Played in NFL	3
Totals				51

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players