 Matson in 1959 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 33, 30 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 1, 1930 Trinity, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | February 19, 2011 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | George Washington (San Francisco, California) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | San Francisco (1949–1951) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1952 / round: 1 / pick: 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing the  United States
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1952 Helsinki | 4 × 400 metres relay |
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1952 Helsinki | 400 metres |
Ollie Genoa Matson II (May 1, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was an American Olympic medal winning sprinter and professional football player. He played as a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 to 1966 for the Chicago Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the San Francisco Dons and was selected by the Cardinals in the first round (third overall) of the 1952 NFL draft.
Matson was named an NFL first team All-Pro seven times and selected to the Pro Bowl six times during the course of his professional career. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972, and later included in the NFL's 1950s all-decade team during the league's 100th anniversary celebration.