We lost a good one this week in my fraternity brother and good friend Tom Matte! Tom played running back for 12 seasons in the @NFL—all for the then Baltimore Colts—and was a Super Bowl champion and a two-time All-Pro. But my friendship with Tom went back to our days at @theohiostateuniversity. We went to school together, were in the same pledge class, and even roomed together. Tom was a hard-nosed fun-loving athlete. And everybody loved him! I don’t care what sport you wanted to play, Matte was there to join you.

We played on the fraternity basketball team and even the fraternity volleyball team, and Tom loved to compete! And he would laugh through it the entire time.

I remember January 1969, when Tom and his Colts were playing in Super Bowl III against the @NYJets, and he asked me to come down to the locker room after the game. Well, after Joe Namath backed up his guarantee for a win by the underdog Jets, I said, “No, I don’t think I’m going to that Colts locker room!” But I decided to stop in there and pass along my condolences. I walked in and Tom and the guys were acting like the season just ended and on a good note. Tom lived his life that way! When it was over, it was over, and Tom always walked away with a smile.

Barbara and I want to send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Judy and their family. Tom Matte was such a great guy, great friend, and he will certainly be missed!

—Jack

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