Matt Koart
| No. 92 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 28, 1963 Goleta, California, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Dos Pueblos (California) | ||||
| College: | USC (1981–1985) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1986: 5th round, 125th pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Matthew W. Koart (born November 28, 1963) is an American former professional football player. He played college football for the USC Trojans where he was a second-team All-Pac-10 Conference selection as a senior in 1985. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1986 NFL draft and played one season as a defensive end for them before retiring. After his football career, he became a real estate executive.
Early life
[edit]Koart was born on November 28, 1963, in Goleta, California.[1] Koart's father Bill, who played minor league baseball, died when he was 12.[2] He attended Dos Pueblos High School where he played football as a two-way tackle.[3] As a senior in 1980, he was selected first-team All-Channel League and second-team All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).[3][4] Koart also served as team captain at Dos Pueblos.[5] He was invited to the Santa Barbara County All-Star Game and signed to play college football for the USC Trojans in 1981.[6]
College career
[edit]Koart redshirted in 1981; he then lettered for the football team from 1982 to 1985.[1][2] He entered school at a weight of 217 pounds (98 kg) to play defensive tackle, being very small for the position.[2] He recalled that "I was trying to fend off linemen like Roy Foster and Bruce Matthews and I was getting killed".[2] Koart thus decided to increase his weight, telling the Los Angeles Times that "I used to stuff myself so bad. I'd take a weight-gaining powder, put two bananas in it, grind it up and then shove it down my throat – 2,000 calories. And that was after I ate".[2] He eventually rose to a weight of 260 pounds (120 kg) and became one of USC's top linemen.[2]
As a sophomore in 1983, Koart missed four games due to a sprained ankle.[2] He posted 23 tackles in the 1984 season before tearing knee ligaments, requiring surgery and ending his season.[7] He then started every game and served as team captain for a USC team in 1985 that compiled a record of 6–6.[8][9] Koart totaled 86 tackles and three sacks during the season.[10] He was selected second-team All-Pac-10 Conference and was named an Academic All-American.[11][12] Koart concluded his collegiate career with a 177 tackles and nine sacks and was invited to the East–West Shrine Game.[9][10] He was the recipient of USC's Howard Jones/Football Alumni Club Award for highest grade-point average (GPA) among senior football players and graduated in 1986 with a degree in finance.[9][10]
Professional career and later life
[edit]Koart was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round (125th overall) of the 1986 NFL draft.[1] His teammate, defensive end Brent Moore, was also selected by the Packers.[13] Although his mother and agent preferred him to attend law school, he said that he "want[ed] to play football" and signed with the Packers in July 1986.[14] With Green Bay, Koart became a defensive end.[1] He impressed the Packers in training camp and made the final roster.[1][10] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Houston Oilers and appeared in the Packers' first six games.[15] After six games, all of which were losses, the Packers released him, a decision that Koart said "shocked" him.[16] Although he had offers to tryout for other teams, Koart decided to retire to enter law school and began working as a clerk for a law firm.[17]
Koart graduated magna cum laude from the Marshall School of Business at USC and later graduated fourth in his class from USC's Gould School of Law.[18] He worked as a real estate attorney and then became an executive with homebuilding companies.[19] He founded Koart Residential, Inc., a group of privately held real estate companies, and served as the chief executive officer for real estate development firm Shapell Industries, Inc.[18] Koart worked various roles for PulteGroup from 1996 to 2008 and returned in 2023 as the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer.[20] In 2024, he was inducted into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame.[18] He is married and has three children.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Matt Koart Stats". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Florence, Mal (September 19, 1985). "A Sizable Problem : USC's Matt Koart Says He Grew Up Fast; Gaining Weight Was Another Story". Los Angeles Times – via archive.today.
- ^ a b "Kinney, Koart and Garrett named to CIF grid squad". Goleta Sun. January 7, 1981. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "8 county gridders gain All-CIF". Santa Barbara News-Press. December 31, 1980. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hometown Potpourri". Santa Barbara News-Press. February 18, 1981. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ O'Hara, Pat (July 25, 1981). "USC roommates get acquainted tonight". Santa Barbara News-Press. p. 7, 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "USC loses defensive tackle". Arizona Daily Star. October 9, 1984. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Round 5". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 30, 1986. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Media Guide (PDF). USC Trojans. July 20, 2023. pp. 114, 135, 211–213, 221, 278, 282, 309. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c d McGinn, Bob (May 31, 1986). "Koart still impressive". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 17, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Football". Ellensburg Daily Record. United Press International. November 29, 1985. p. 11 – via Google Books.
- ^ "DP graduate Matt Koart of USC named Academic All-American". Santa Barbara News-Press. Associated Press. December 12, 1985. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Round 9". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 30, 1986. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Egle, Jim (July 22, 1986). "Koart signs, Bosco on hold". The Post-Crescent. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Matt Koart Career Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ McGinn, Bob (October 15, 1986). "Koart shocked by his release". The Post-Crescent. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Zant, John (January 24, 1987). "The not so super side of the NFL". Santa Barbara News-Press. p. 25, 27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Koart, Matt". California Homebuilding Foundation. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ "Matthew Koart". The Acorn. October 2, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ^ "PulteGroup Names Industry Veteran Matthew Koart as Chief Operating Officer". PulteGroup. May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
