Entertainment

Super Bowl-Winning NFL Star Dies At 51

Published

4 days ago

March 27, 2025

Matt Stevens, the Super Bowl-winning safety who played across five NFL franchises during his career, died this week at just 51 years old.

No cause of death has been announced for the former Appalachian State star. He will be laid to rest on Friday, March 28th, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, according to an obituary by Walker’s Funeral Home.

“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,” his collegiate team wrote on X.

Born June 15th, 1973 in Northville, Michigan, Stevens graduated from Chapel Hill High School before going on to play at Appalachian State where as a senior he pushed the Mountaineers to the 1995 Southern Conference Championship. His standout final year of college football propelled him into the NFL when the Buffalo Bills picked him up in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

Stevens’ best year came in 1999 when he recorded a career-high seven interceptions in 17 games and also recovered a fumble, according to Chappelboro. He was a member of the 2001 New England Patriots team, playing in 18 games and earning a Super Bowl ring following their defeat of the St. Louis Rams at Super Bowl XXXVI.

He finished his career with the Houston Texans, playing two seasons before retiring in 2003.

Four years into retirement, tragedy struck when, in 2007, Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a motorcycle accident that severed his spinal cord.

“I have a girl who loves me and I have two kids,” he said in a 2010 interview. “The reason I subconsciously made it through the accident when I was in a coma is due to my kids.”

In 2011, he became the face of ReWalk, a wearable device that enables wheelchair users to stand, walk, and climb stairs.

“It’s exhilarating and motivating just to be able to stand up from my wheelchair and walk upright with ReWalk – it really improves my mental attitude and enables me to focus on what I can do, instead of what I can’t do,” said Stevens in a statement released by physical therapy company MossRehab. “I have my fiancée and my family to thank for their encouragement to try ReWalk and to reinforce my strength and determination. I’m thrilled to be able to participate in this trial at MossRehab, and I hope that in some way, I can help to advance the development of ReWalk, so other paraplegics can have the chance to walk again.”

Stevens leaves behind his mother, Jean Thillberg, his father, Vincent Stevens, his brother, Mark Stevens, and his children, Cassidie and Colin Stevens, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

“Football is just a game,” he reflected in 2010. “It paid my way, but the important things are family and being around people who love you and want to take care of you.”