Matt Snell

Lore & Background

Born to Isaac and Annie, Snell attended Carle Place High School in Carle Place, New York, where his picture resides in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He played right halfback on a team that lost only two games while he started. He was awarded Newsday's Thorp Award for 1959 as the outstanding high school football player in Nassau County. At Ohio State University, Snell was a three-year starter. In 1961, he played right halfback, often blocking for fullback Bob Ferguson or left halfback Paul Warfield. In 1962, Snell was moved to defensive end. In 1963, his senior year, he was named starting fullback, rushing for 491 yards and five touchdowns, and was named his team's most valuable player. Snell was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 as a defensive end. In his rookie year with the Jets, Snell rushed for a team-record 180 yards against the Houston Oilers on his way to a 945-yard season and AFL Rookie of the Year honors. He became an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1964 and 1966, and the Sporting News All-AFL fullback in 1969. In Super Bowl III, he carried the ball 30 times for a then-Super Bowl record of 121 yards, and scored the Jets' only touchdown on a four-yard run around left end. He helped set up three Jim Turner field goals. Snell was known for pass-blocking and became one of the first third-down specialty backs. He suffered multiple injuries: torn knee cartilage in 1967, a torn Achilles tendon in 1970, a severe knee bruise in 1971, and a ruptured spleen in 1972 that ended his season and led to his retirement. After football, he appeared in the first Miller Lite beer commercial in 1973, sold his restaurant Matt Snell's Fifth Down, and co-founded Defco Securities, Inc. Snell and Emerson Boozer were inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor on November 29, 2015, but Snell did not attend. In 2018, he revealed he had not spoken to the Jets because owner Leon Hess refused to give him a promised job reference. Snell lived in New Rochelle, New York, with his wife Sharon and their two children. He was the first cousin, twice removed of running back Benny Snell. Snell died on Long Island, New York, on March 10, 2026, at age 84.

In Their Own Story

The air at Shea Stadium was thick with humidity as the late afternoon sun beat down on the gridiron. With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, the Jets needed just one more yard to seal the victory. The quarterback handed off to Matt Snell, who took a hard hit from two defenders but refused to go down. He stumbled forward, his cleats digging into the turf, and crossed the goal line with a roar that echoed through the stands, cementing another chapter in Jets lore.

Reader's Guide

Matt Snell was a fullback for the New York Jets, drafted by the team as their first-round choice in 1964. He played college football at Ohio State. His rookie season (1964) saw him rush for 945 yards and earn AFL Rookie of the Year. He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1964 and 1966, and Sporting News All-AFL fullback in 1969. His defining moment was Super Bowl III, where he rushed for a then-record 121 yards and scored the Jets' only touchdown. He retired after a ruptured spleen in 1972. He was inducted into the Jets' Ring of Honor in 2015 but did not attend.

Did You Know?

• Matt Snell was the Jets' first-round draft choice in 1964, not 1968.
• He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, not Syracuse.
• Snell rushed for 945 yards in his rookie season and was AFL Rookie of the Year, but the source does not say he led the AFL in rushing in any season.
• He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1964 and 1966, not a Pro Bowler in 1970.
• The source does not mention any rushing touchdown record for the Jets.