Bruce Matthews lounges against the barbell of a Smith machine, taking in the open warehouse interior of the Plex Training facility located in Houston, Texas. The training facility is a familiar sight for the 19-year Hall-Of-Famer; the Matthews clan visits the location often over the offseason. A boxing ring is in the corner; various ropes and cones line the floor for footwork. He wears an Under Armour black shirt and Tennessee Titans shorts — a logo that used to display the Houston Oilers for a large chunk of Matthews’ career. I ask him about repping the squad that he played the duration of his career with.
Photo Via The Tennessee Titans
“They always give me free stuff,” he smiles.
Despite the gear, he’s a fan of his son Jake’s Atlanta Falcons team.
“I’m a Falcons fan for sure. Don’t forget Tennessee fired me.”
Bruce’s son Jake and nephew Clay III
Photo via USA Today Sports
Matthews played in 14 Pro Bowls through his football career, including a Super Bowl run in 2000. Post-retirement, he coached six years for both the Titans and the Houston Texans, carrying his passion for teaching over to the Bruce Matthews O-line Academy, a training program for youth at different levels that’s partnered with Plex.
Photo via Pro Football Hall Of Fame
“I was really impacted during my coaching career by players buying into the message and seeing what you’re selling them really helps them out,” Matthews said. “Help me get better, that’s all they want.”
“We wanted to do a camp that was position specific to offensive lineman. We want to give you those fundamentals you can take back and work on your own and improve.”
Matthews sat with TexasHSFootball.com’s CEO Brian DeMarco and I to discuss his insecurities as a player, his family autobiography “Inside the NFL’s First Family”, and his desire to teach aspiring athletes as much as he can.
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