Matt Grootegoed

Last updated
Matt Grootegoed
No. 48
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1982-05-06) May 6, 1982 (age 42)
Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school: Mater Dei
(Santa Ana, California)
College: Southern California
Undrafted: 2005
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:4
Quarterback sacks:0.0
Interceptions:0
Career CFL statistics
Tackles:41
Forced fumbles:2
Player stats at CFL.ca (archive)

Matthew Arthur Grootegoed (born May 6, 1982) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the University of Southern California, and was recognized as an All-American. He was signed by the NFL's Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005, and also played for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 2009.

Contents

Early years

Grootegoed was born in Huntington Beach, California. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. [1] The Mater Dei Monarchs high school football team won three California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships while he was a member.

As a junior in 1998, he rushed for more than 1,600 yards with twenty-one touchdowns on offense, and made 130 tackles, six forced fumbles and three interceptions on defense. In the CIF Division I championship game, which Mater Dei won, he earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Game honors (he ran for 244 yards, with a 7.4 average, and two touchdowns). Following the season, he was selected as a Student Sports Junior All-American, Cal-Hi All-State first-team, All-CIF Southern Section first-team, All-CIF Division I Defensive Most Valuable Player (MVP), Los Angeles Times All-Orange County Back of the Year and Orange County Register All-Orange County Defensive MVP.

During his 1999 senior season, he made 138 tackles, six interceptions (including two touchdown returns), seven tackles for losses and two forced fumbles as a free safety, and ran for 945 yards on 116 carries with fourteen touchdowns as a running back. He also played quarterback early in the season, completing 21 of 41 passes for 300-plus yards. Afterward, he was selected for the USA Today All-USA first-team, Parade All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, ESPN All-American, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first-team, All-CIF Southern Section first-team, and received the All-CIF Division I Defensive MVP Award, Los Angeles Times Glenn Davis Award, Los Angeles Times All-Orange County first-team, Orange County Register All-Orange County Defensive MVP and All-Serra League MVP.

College career

Grootegoed received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Southern California, where he was a four-year starter for coach Pete Carroll's USC Trojans football team from 2000 to 2004. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2000, he earned a spot in the Trojans' starting line-up. Carroll said of him "Things just happen when he's on the field. He knocks the ball down, knocks the ball loose, forces plays in the backfield and makes plays getting off blocks. You can't hold him down." While Grootegoed played for the Trojans, the team won three straight Pacific-10 Conference championships (2002, 2003, 2004) and two consecutive Associated Press (AP) national championships in 2003 and 2004. He was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2003. Following his senior season in 2004, he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, and was recognized as a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a consensus first-team All-American.

Professional career

National Football League

On April 26, 2005, Grootegoed was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2005 NFL Draft, eventually released to their practice squad, and was later picked up by the Detroit Lions. Grootegoed played for the Lions in the final three games of their 2005 season.

Canadian Football League

Grootegoed played for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders from 2007 to 2009, and was a member of the Stampeders' 2008 Grey Cup championship team. The Stampeders released Grootegoed on September 9, 2009.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)</span> Catholic high school in Santa Ana, California

Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California, located in and administered by the Diocese of Orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Norton Jr.</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. is an American football coach and former player who is the linebackers coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft. Norton won three Super Bowls during his playing career with the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers and became coach in 2004, later serving as a defensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He is the son of former world champion heavyweight boxer Ken Norton.

Michael Antonio Patterson is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football for the USC Trojans.

Ryan Riddle is an American former professional football defensive end. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders as a linebacker in the sixth round, with the 38th pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of California, Berkeley.

Ezekiel Aaron Moreno is an American former professional gridiron football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).

Timothy McDonald is an American former football safety who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). McDonald played college football for the USC Trojans, and was honored as a two-time All-American and two-time team most valuable player (MVP). A second-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, he played for the St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals (1987–1992) and the San Francisco 49ers (1993–1999). Upon the conclusion of his playing career, McDonald entered coaching, most recently serving as the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.

Joseph William Cowan is a Canadian-born American former college football wide receiver for the UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servite High School</span> Private, all-boys school in Anaheim, Orange County, California, United States

Servite High School is a private, Catholic, all-boys college preparatory high school in Anaheim, California founded in 1958.

Dennis Lee Thurman is an American football coach and former player. He is a former coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Phoenix Cardinals, the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, and in the Alliance of American Football (AAF) for the Memphis Express. He played as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football for the USC Trojans.

Kareem Kelly is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. World junior record holder over indoor 50 meters 5.67 sec. He played college football at USC.

Lenny Vandermade is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as an Offensive Analyst at the University of Southern California.

LeRon Perry Ellis is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad Mater Dei. Ellis was drafted into the NBA after a mixed college basketball performance at the University of Kentucky and Syracuse University. He suffered several unsuccessful stints in the NBA over three non-consecutive seasons but spent the majority of his professional basketball career playing overseas.

Ralph Davis Brown II is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was a consensus All-American. He played professionally for the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. He has biological children, but has given up his parental rights to them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Jackson</span> American football player (born 1985)

Lawrence Christopher Jackson is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at USC.

The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 2004 Trojans football team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National Championship Game. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. It was the Trojans' first unanimous national championship since 1972, and the second time a team had gone wire-to-wire, with the Trojans holding the number 1 spot in the polls all season. The team was coached by Pete Carroll in his fourth year with the Trojans, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team is widely considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time.

Erik Konrad Affholter is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). As a 16-year-old place kicker during his junior season of high school he broke a national record with a 64-yard field goal, which at the time was the longest field goal kicked at any level. Playing college football for the USC Trojans, he was an All-American and established school records for most receptions in a season, and in a career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamar Wall</span> American gridiron football player (born 1988)

Jamar Wall is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also was a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech.

The Trinity League is a high school athletic conference in Southern California, part of the CIF Southern Section. The League is regarded as one of the most competitive high school football leagues in the United States. For the fall 2023 season, High School Football America rated it the toughest league in the nation, with the top two nationally ranked teams and five out of the six ranked the top 300. In 2021, three of the six programs had been ranked in the top 10 in the country, with five in the top 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John White (running back, born 1991)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1991)

John White IV is a former American football running back. He played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Los Angeles Harbor College and the University of Utah. He attended South High School in Torrance, California.

Adam Thibault is a Canadian football defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won his first Grey Cup championship in his rookie year with the Calgary Stampeders in 2014 after winning three Vanier Cup championships with Laval.

References

  1. Faulkner, Barry (12 October 2012). "Grootegoed making impact from sideline". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 26 February 2024.