Matt Snell, New York Jets
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Former New York Jets Super Bowl hero Matt Snell posing for a photo with his teammate Emerson Boozer.
The New York Jets have one Super Bowl victory in their storied 67-year history.
That wouldn’t be the case without team legend Matt Snell. Snell, 84, passed away due to “natural causes” on Tuesday, March 10, “at an assisted-living facility on Long Island, his son, Beau Snell, told ESPN’s Rich Cimini.”
The Jets only scored one touchdown in Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts on January 12, 1969. Snell carried it from four yards out and punched it into the end zone. The Jets won the game 16-7 over the Colts.
It is still considered one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history and an important victory for the AFL, proving their legitimacy.
Snell finished the game with 121 rushing yards on 30 rushing attempts with that score. He also caught four receptions for 40 receiving yards.
The 6-foot-2, 219-pound fullback played nine years in the NFL, all with the Jets. He appeared in 86 games and made 76 starts. Snell finished his career with 1,057 carries for 4,285 rushing yards with 24 touchdowns. He still sits fourth on the Jets’ all-time rushing yards list.
Tributes Pour in for Snell on Social Media
“Sad news: Matt Snell, Jets legend and Super Bowl III hero, has passed away, his son, Beau Snell, told ESPN. Snell, 84, died this morning on Long Island. He was a Jets Ring of Honor member and scored the only TD in Super Bowl III. He was dominant that day, rushing for 121 yards. Truly one of the all-time greats. RIP,” Cimini posted.
Rich Cimini
Sad news: Matt Snell, Jets legend and Super Bowl III hero, has passed away, his son, Beau Snell, told ESPN. Snell, 84, died this morning on Long Island. He was a Jets Ring of Honor member and scored the only TD in Super Bowl III. He was dominant that day, rushing for 121 yards.
“Rest in Peace to Matt Snell who passed away. An all time Jets great who scored the only Super Bowl TD in Jets history. Prayers to his family, friends and teammates,” New York Jets History account shared on social media.
New York Jets History
Rest in Peace to Matt Snell who passed away. An all time Jets great who scored the only Super Bowl TD in Jets history. Prayers to his family, friends and teammates.
“I talked to Matt Snell in 2015 about his grudge against the Jets. It was so sad that he wanted nothing to do with the team. He scored the most important TD in franchise history. RIP,” Brian Costello of the New York Post wrote.
Brian Costello
I talked to Matt Snell in 2015 about his grudge against the Jets. It was so sad that he wanted nothing to do with the team. He scored the most important TD in franchise history. RIP. Here is what I wrote back in 2015:
An Unfortunate Situation That Will Never Be Resolved
Over the summer of 2025, I spoke with author Bob Lederer. He wrote “Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl Team That Changed Football.”
This was a book that was designed to be “a celebration of the Jets’ 1968 historic Super Bowl team, filled with exclusive insights and stories from the surviving players, coaches, and management.”
While putting that book together, Bob scored a very rare interview with Snell. He recorded those conversations so he could accurately retell those stories in the book.
In August of 2025, Lederer played those 1-on-1 audio tapes on-air on “Boy Green Daily” for the very first time. Snell, in his own words, described his beef with the team.
He had been angry with the organization for a long time over a broken promise about him having a “job for life” after his playing days.
Another key piece of the puzzle: after stepping away from football at the age of 31 due to injuries, Snell sought out a “letter of recommendation” from the Jets so he could find other employment. The organization told him that “we don’t do that” which only made him angrier.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor. In 2019, they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl victory. Snell skipped both of those events because of his relationship with the Jets organization.
Paul Andrew Esden Jr
#Jets fans there is something massive we need to fix.
Matt Snell, a team legend who scored the lone touchdown in #SuperBowl 3, has been angry with the organization for a very long time.
For the first time EVER, audio tapes from his rare 1-on-1 interview with Bob Lederer were