Erik R. Bishoff | Photographer
Senior Jerry Matson worked his way from special teams standout to starting middle linebacker by his junior season at Oregon.
From Kodiak to Kamiak to Quack Attack
Senior middle linebacker Jerry Matson's road to
success at Oregon was a long and winding one
BY JON ROETMAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
It’s a chilly Hiesday evening at
Autzen Stadium and Jerry Matson
is hard at work.
With one calf wrapped in tape
and his chin strap tightly snapped,
Oregon’s senior middle linebacker
labors through defensive drills,
preparing himself for Saturday’s
showdown against UCLA. Later,
with practice nearing an end, Mat
son joins a group of special teamers
to practice kickoff coverage.
While sprinting down the field to
cover a mock kickoff isn’t where one
would expect to see a starting Divi
sion I linebacker, Matson wouldn’t
have it any other way.
In fact, hard work and taking
on unwanted jobs are the reasons
No. 52 is at Oregon today. The
senior didn’t even start playing foot
ball until the eighth grade, and at
that point, a future in the sport
seemed laughable.
Born in Kodiak, Alaska, Matson
waited to give football a try until the
end of junior high when he moved to
the state of Washington. He was so
clueless about the sport that most of
his on-field action came during a spe
cialized time for children who
weren’t very football savvy.
“If you weren’t that athletic or you
just didn’t get the game, you played
during the fifth quarter,” Matson
said. “I played in the fifth quarter a
lot because I didn’t know what was
going on. I’m from Alaska and we
didn’t have football there.”
After moving back to Alaska for
less than a year, Matson returned to
Edmonds, Wash., to attend Kamiak
High School. Having enjoyed his brief
time on the field, Matson decided to
dedicate himself to becoming a better
football player.
Ample hours spent in the weight
room and endless work on tech
nique turned Matson from a clue
less newcomer into an all-state out
side linebacker. During his senior
year with the Knights, he led the
state with 135 tackles. Matson was
determined to succeed at the colle
giate level, having transformed him
self into a sturdy, 185-pounder, who
could bench press 250 pounds and
squat 430.
The joy of his stellar senior season
quickly turned to disappointment,
however, when Matson received little
attention from Division I schools.
Washington, Washington State, Ida
ho and other northwest universities
didn’t think enough of Matson’s abil
ities to offer him a scholarship.
While Oregon showed interest in
the high-energy defender, it too re
fused to offer Matson an immediate
scholarship. What Duck coaches did
offer Matson was encouragement
and an opportunity to walk on and
prove himself worthy of one.
“When he showed up here, he
just wanted an opportunity,” Ore
gon linebackers coach Don Pellum
said. “I told him, ‘You have to earn
anything that you get.’ He said, ‘All I
want is a chance.’”
After Matson settled on Oregon,
however, it didn’t take long for him to
second-guess his decision. The ath
letic dominance he experienced in
high school was no longer evident.
His competition was bigger, faster
and stronger than before, and Mat
son’s chance of playing seemed
hopeless. Pellum said Matson even
considered quitting for a couple days
before righting the ship.
After a few days of soul searching,
Matson convinced himself that Ore
gon was his rightful place. He was
then informed by head coach Mike
Bellotti that he needed to move his
way up to second on the linebacking
depth chart and start on at least two
special teams in order to earn a
scholarship. Matson got to work im
mediately, using his redshirt year
during the 2000 season to improve
his physical skills.
If the re-energized Matson needed
any added motivation, it came from
spending time around David Moretti,
who starred at middle linebacker for
the Ducks from 2000-02.
“In high school, there was no one
that loved football as much or would
lift weights as much as me,” Matson
MATSON, page 5B
Oregon Daily Emerald
I Newsroom f54l! 346-5511
Display Advertising (5411 346-3712
I Classified Advertising (541) 346-4343
Now in its 13th year, Game Day is published every Friday throughout the football season and is distributed on campus, at
distribution sites around Eugene and at Autzen Stadium the day of the home games. Game Day is published by the
Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. The Emerald operates independently
of the UO with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union.
Oregon Daily Emerald | P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 | www.dailyemerald.com
UNIVERSITY
HEALTH CENTER
Keeping ducks healthy in body and mind
Services Include:
S Onsite physicians & nurse
practitioners
S Free FPEP women/men’s
contraceptive counseling
S Low cost Pharmacy
S Dental Clinic
S Physical Therapy & Sports
Medicine
S Allergy & Asthma Clinics
S Free Cholesterol Screens
S Mental Health Services
Travel Clinic
Health Education Programs
Massage Therapy
CPR
Energetic Healing
Relax and Renew Course
Tobacco Cessation Support
Blood Pressure Reduction
Program
And much more.
Open Daily & Weekends
MWThF 8 A.M. to 6 P.M.,
Tuesdays 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.,
Saturdays and Sundays 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Appointments and after hours: 346-2770
o
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Health Center
healthcenter.uoregon.edu
0206481
Hot Body Club Favorite
Lexi Lamour
2 for 1 Tuesdays
• 2 fpr 1 at the door
• 2 for 1 Burger Deal
• 2 for 1 tabledanees
4—7 p.m. & 9—midnight
• 2 girls onstage
all night
'excludes alcoholic beverages
2165 W. 11th Avenue
683-6021
Monday Friday 12-2 I
Saturday & Sunday 2-2 j
www.hotbody.com
One night only!
November 17th
3 Shows!
9, 11 & 1
Handbags, Shoulder Bags,
'Slings, Backpacks, Clutches
designed for women by women
Oakway Center
Where your feet will
look good and feel great
Bring in this ad and
save *10°° off
any regular price handbag.
Good through 11/24/04
683-4115 • Toll Free 877-683-4115
Mon-Fri 10-8. Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5