Matt Hazeltine

American football player (1933–1987)

Matt Hazeltine
No. 55, 64
Hazeltine in 1961
Date of birth(1933-08-02)August 2, 1933
Place of birthRoss, California, U.S.
Date of deathJanuary 13, 1987(1987-01-13) (aged 53)
Place of deathSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Linebacker
US collegeCalifornia
NFL draft1955 / Round: 4 / Pick: 45
Career history
As player
1955–1968San Francisco 49ers
1970New York Giants
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls2 (1962, 1964)
Career stats
Games played190
Starts185
Interceptions13
Fumble recoveries18
  • Playing stats at NFL.com
  • Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com
  • College Football Hall of Fame

Matthew Emory Hazeltine, Jr. (August 2, 1933 – January 13, 1987) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.

Hazeltine was twice an All-American as a collegian playing for the University of California and was twice chosen for the Pro-Bowl during his professional career. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Biography

Hazeltine was a 1951 graduate of Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, and was a star player there and at the University of California, Berkeley.

While with the 49ers, Hazeltine was selected for the Pro Bowl twice, in 1963 and 1965. He was captain of the team for five years.[1]

Hazeltine missed the 1969 season with injuries, but returned in 1970 for one season with the New York Giants. Following his retirement from the gridiron, Hazeltine operated a successful insurance agency in San Francisco.[2]

He died in San Francisco on January 13, 1987. He was one of three 1964 San Francisco 49ers teammates who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The other two were Bob Waters and Gary Lewis.[3][4]

Hazeltine was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ AP story, New York Times, January 17, 1987, "Matt Hazeltine, 53, Is Dead; Former Linebacker for 49ers", accessed July 12, 2007
  2. ^ "THE BATTLE OF HIS LIFE: BOB WATERS IS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS TO A DEADLY ILLNESS AFFLICTING FORMER 49ERS Sports Illustrated, August 24, 1987, accessed August 25, 2016
  3. ^ Cladia Wallis, Time Magazine, "Probing A Mysterious 'Cluster,'" Monday, February 23, 1987, accessed March 28, 2007
  4. ^ Catamount Athletics, "Tribute to a Champion - the Bob Waters' Legacy" Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 12, 2007
  5. ^ "Matt Hazeltine". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
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San Francisco 49ers 1955 NFL draft selections