From Woody’s backfield to a landmark Jets upset
Matt Snell ’66, the Ohio State MVP and Super Bowl III standout, earned respect through his tough play and quiet words.
Matt Snell ’66 didn’t say much to his Ohio State teammates, but when he spoke, they listened.
“We’d break the huddle and he’d say ‘I’m depending on you,’” says Jim Davidson ’66, an All-American tackle. “After the play, Matt would come back to the huddle and look at me and say, ‘Way to go, Davey,’ which is what he called me. Matt saying that meant everything to me. I idolized Matt Snell because of the hard-nosed way he played football.”
The Buckeye standout, who died on March 10 at the age of 84, is best known for his starring role in Super Bowl III, when the New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts 16-7. Snell ran for 121 yards, caught passes for another 40 yards and scored his team’s only touchdown. Quarterback Joe Namath received the most valuable player award, but many thought Snell should have been selected. “I was cheering for the Jets only because of Matt,” Davidson says. “I thought Matt was the star of the game.”
Snell grew up on Long Island, New York. At Ohio State, he played fullback his sophomore year, was a standout defensive end the next year and returned to the backfield his senior season. He teamed with future NFL Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield ’70 to create a dangerous rushing duo. “Those were the days of Woody Hayes and three yards and a cloud of dust, and Matt carried the load,” Davidson says. “He’d put both hands on the ball, run through the middle, and people just bounced off him.”
The bruising fullback was named the team’s most valuable player after his senior season and was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 as a defensive end.
Snell made an immediate impact with the Jets, running for 948 yards, and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year. Over nine seasons, he racked up 4,285 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, and 1,375 receiving yards and seven scores.
“Matt was not only a hell of a player, he was a terrific teammate and without him, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win a championship,” Joe Namath said in a statement released by the Jets.
