INDIANAPOLIS — Former Alabama A&M standout Robert Mathis will be inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 22, when the team hosts the Green Bay Packers, team officials said today.
Fans may purchase single-game tickets to the Nov. 22 game at Colts.com/Tickets or www.Ticketmaster.com.
In 39 games at Alabama A&M, Mathis recorded 221 tackles while setting a program records with 44 sacks and 20 forced fumbles.
As a senior in 2002, Mathis set a Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) record with 20 sacks. That season, he also recorded 58 tackles while setting an Alabama A&M record with 32 tackles for loss while forcing 10 fumbles.
Mathis holds six Alabama A&M records: Career sacks (44); single-season sacks (32); single-game sacks (5); career tackles for loss (88.5); single-season tackles for loss (32); single-game tackles for loss (8).
After graduating from Alabama A&M with a bachelor degree in Physical Education, Mathis was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, where he played 14 seasons while helping the franchise win Super Bowl XLI.
Mathis, the franchise's all-time sack leader, played 14 seasons (2003-2016) with the Colts after being selected by the team in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He saw action in 192 career games (121 starts) and totaled 604 tackles (456 solo), 123.0 sacks, 18 passes defensed, 52 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries (three returned for touchdowns), one interception and 15 special teams stops. Mathis appeared in 18 postseason contests (11 starts) and tallied 48 tackles (32 solo), 6.5 sacks, two passes defensed, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was a member of the Colts' Super Bowl XLI-winning team.
"From a fifth-round pick from a small college to one of the most effective and feared defensive players in the NFL, Robert Mathis was a centerpiece of the historic Colts teams of the last two decades," said Jim Irsay, Colts Owner & CEO. "He was undersized and underrated, but he made up for it with a motor that wouldn't quit and a flawless technique that outmatched the most talented lineman in the league. And to watch him strip-sack the quarterback – which he did better and more than anyone in NFL history – was a thing of beauty. What's more, Robert has stayed connected to the Horseshoe and has helped guide and teach our next generation of players. We are so proud that his name and his Hall of Fame-worthy career will be celebrated and remembered in Indianapolis from this day forward."
Mathis finished his career ranked 17th in league history in sacks and his 47 sack-forced fumbles are a league record. He was named to six consecutive Pro Bowls (2008-2013) and was voted a 2013 Associated Press and Sporting News First Team NFL All-Pro selection. In 2013, Mathis won the inaugural Deacon Jones Award as the NFL's sack leader with 19.5. He became the second member in Colts history to lead the league in sacks (Dwight Freeney, 2004). Mathis was named to the 2013 PFWA All-NFL and All-AFC teams as well as the NFL 101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year.
Over his career, he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week on five occasions (2005, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016) and AFC Defensive Player of the Month four times (November 2009, September 2010, October 2013 and December 2013). Mathis is tied with Dwight Freeney for the most Defensive Player of the Week awards in franchise history. He was also named the team's recipient of the 2011 Ed Block Courage Award.
Mathis will become the 17th honoree in the Ring of Honor, joining: Owner Robert Irsay (1996), WR-Bill Brooks (1998), Head Coach Ted Marchibroda (2000), OL-Chris Hinton (2001), QB-Jim Harbaugh (2005), "Colts Nation" (2007), Head Coach Tony Dungy (2010), WR-Marvin Harrison (2011), RB-Edgerrin James (2012), RB-Eric Dickerson and RB-Marshall Faulk (2013), C-Jeff Saturday (2015), General Manager Bill Polian (2016), QB-Peyton Manning (2017), WR-Reggie Wayne (2018) and DE-Dwight Freeney (2019).
