Last Man Standing: How Tom Matte’s Memorable 1965 Season Highlighted a Remarkable NFL Career

With the Baltimore Colts 1965 season on the line, running back Tom Matte was pressed into service when Johnny Unitas and his backup were injured in consecutive weeks late in the season. Here is the thrilling story of the everyman third-string quarterback who took on the vaunted Green Bay Packers in the midst of a remarkable NFL career.

Joel Poiley has more than 40 years of journalism experience with newspapers, television stations, magazines and websites. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, USA Today Sports Weekly, Baseball America, Beckett’s Baseball Monthly, Legends Magazine, ESPN.com, Associated Press, and many other national media outlets. Poiley has won awards for newspaper features in Maryland and Tampa, and with Bay News 9. Poiley is a free-lance writer/editor in Tampa, FL.