Former New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Matt Stevens has died at the age of 51, the team announced on Thursday.
Stevens was a third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1996 out of Appalachian State. He began his career with the Bills before moving to Philadelphia, Washington, New England and then Houston.
A defensive back, Stevens had 301 tackles, 13 interceptions and a sack during his NFL career. He played in 15 of 16 regular-season games for the Patriots in 2001, making four starts. That was the team that kicked off the Patriots’ dynasty, winning their first Super Bowl with a surprising 20-17 win over the Rams.
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Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down after being involved in a motorcycle accident in 2007, though he later was able to regain movement using a ReWalk device.
Stevens was a two-time All-American in college and part of Appalachian State’s Hall of Fame.
Condolences to the friends and family of two-time @AppState_FB All-American, Super Bowl champion and App State Athletics Hall of Fame member Matt Stevens. pic.twitter.com/ZZScIcmDfi
— App State Football (@AppState_FB) March 25, 2025
Here are some nice highlights from Stevens’ NFL career.
RIP Matt Stevens 🙏
Here's his INT vs Denver back in 2001 https://t.co/mn7XvmXHYJ pic.twitter.com/tZ5A8T0R5S
— 🏆🥇 (@fsh733) March 27, 2025
Former #Eagles S Matt Stevens (97-98)
Passed away at age 51 #RestEasyMatt pic.twitter.com/gWoHfZ5g4S
— All About The Birds (@AATBirds) March 27, 2025