Bill Mathis

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Bill Mathis
No. 31
PositionRunning back
Personal information
Born(1938-12-10)December 10, 1938
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 2020(2020-10-20) (aged 81)[1]
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolManchester (GA)
CollegeClemson
NFL draft1960: 8th round, 88th overall pick
AFL draft1960: 1st round
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career AFL statistics
Rushing yards3,589
Rushing average3.4
Receptions149
Receiving yards1,775
Total touchdowns46
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Bill Mathis (December 10, 1938 – October 20, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New York Titans/Jets in the American Football League (AFL).[2] He played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He also competed on the Clemson Tigers track and field team.[3] He started his professional career with the Titans, and played his entire career with the AFL's New York franchise. One of four Titans who remained with the New York Jets to play in and win a Super Bowl, Mathis led the AFL in carries in 1961 and was selected by his peers to the Sporting News 1961 AFL All-League team. He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1961 and 1963. Mathis had a collarbone broken in the third game of 1961, against the Boston Patriots. He played in the next game, and in fact in all the remaining games of the season.

That persistence allowed him to gain a roster spot year after year, including being a member of the 1968 world champion Jets team that beat the NFL champion Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Mathis played one additional season in 1969 before retiring. He is one of 20 players who were in the AFL for its entire 10-year existence, and one of 7 players who played their entire AFL careers for one franchise. He was inducted into the Clemson University Hall of Fame, South Carolina Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Hall of Fame.

While a member of the Jets, Mathis appeared as an imposter for a Coast Guard captain on the October 11, 1965 episode of the CBS Television game show To Tell the Truth, receiving one of the four votes.[4]

After retiring from football, Mathis began a career on Wall Street, starting at the firm Cogan, Berlind, Weill & Levitt.[5]

AFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1960 NYT 14 9 92 307 3.3 17 2 18 103 5.7 24 0
1961 NYT 14 14 202 846 4.2 30 7 12 42 3.5 14 1
1962 NYT 11 6 71 245 3.5 41 3 6 32 5.3 14 0
1963 NYJ 14 12 107 268 2.5 16 1 18 177 9.8 33 1
1964 NYJ 14 13 105 305 2.9 31 4 4 39 9.8 15 0
1965 NYJ 14 14 147 604 4.1 79 5 17 242 14.2 32 1
1966 NYJ 14 7 72 208 2.9 23 2 22 379 17.2 70 1
1967 NYJ 14 9 78 243 3.1 18 4 25 429 17.2 38 3
1968 NYJ 14 5 74 208 2.8 16 5 9 149 16.6 31 1
1969 NYJ 14 2 96 355 3.7 27 4 18 183 10.2 35 1
137 91 1,044 3,589 3.4 79 37 149 1,775 11.9 70 9

Playoffs

[edit]
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1968 NYJ 2 0 6 10 1.7 5 0 3 20 6.7 13 0
1969 NYJ 1 0 6 11 1.8 6 0 1 4 4.0 4 0
3 0 12 21 1.8 6 0 4 24 6.0 13 0

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bill Mathis, Titans/Jets Great from 1960-69, Passes Away at 81". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Bill Mathis Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
  3. ^ "Clemson Athletic Hall of Famer Bill Mathis Passes Away". Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site. October 22, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "To Tell the Truth". CBS Television. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  5. ^ Can Ex-Athletes Make it on Wall Street. New York Magazine, January 8, 1973
[edit]