Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M att Suhey, the star run- ning back who helped bring Penn State to the brink of a national championship and went on to win a Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears, died Sept. 6 at age 68. Suhey, a native of nearby Bellefonte and the son of Penn State All-America guard Steve Suhey, rushed for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Nittany Lions from 1976-79. He ranks 13th in program history in career rush- ing yards, and he also had 39 receptions for 328 yards and 21 punt returns for 252 yards. Suhey was Penn State's lead- ing rusher in each of his last three seasons. He totaled 720 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior in 1978, helping the Nit- tany Lions finish the regular season unbeaten. They lost to Alabama, 14- 7, in the Sugar Bowl with the national championship at stake, finishing No. 4 in both major polls. Suhey enjoyed his best college season as a senior, gaining 973 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring 6 rush- ing touchdowns for a team that finished 8-4. He earned first-team All-East hon- ors in 1978 and '79. Following his college career, Suhey found even more success in the NFL. The Chicago Bears chose him in the sec- ond round of the 1980 draft, and he be- came a key part of the team for the next decade. Suhey excelled as a lead blocker for Walter Payton, who retired as the NFL's all-time rushing leader with 16,726 yards. Partners on the field and close friends off it, Suhey and Payton earned Super Bowl rings at the conclusion of the 1985 season, when the Bears defeated New England, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX. The team's second-leading rusher that season with 471 yards, Suhey scored the game's first touchdown on an 11-yard run in the first quarter. Long after they both had retired, Suhey served as the executor of Payton's estate. In a tribute after Suhey's death, Payton's son Jarrett remembered him as a father figure who helped care for the family after Walter died in 1999. "When everything felt uncer- tain, he was there," Jarrett wrote on social media. "My dad left him in charge, and Matt never let that responsibility sit lightly. He protected our family. He looked after us. He made sure we were okay, year after year, without ever making it about himself. "That is who he was." In his 10 pro seasons, all with the Bears, Suhey rushed 828 times for 2,946 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 260 receptions for 2,113 yards and 5 scores. In 2019, the Chicago Sun-Times ranked him 78th on its list of the 100 greatest Bears of all time. Suhey's family has deep ties to the Penn State football program. His brothers, Larry and Paul, also lettered for the Nittany Lions in the 1970s. His son Joe played fullback from 2007-11, while his nephew Kevin was a quarterback and special teams player from 2005-07. ■ PSU Great Matt Suhey Dies At 68 M A T T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Suhey led the Nittany Lions in rushing from 1977-79. His 2,818 career rushing yards rank 13th in school history. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS Max Granville To Miss Season With Injury Redshirt sophomore defensive end Max Granville will miss the rest of the 2026 season after sustaining an unspecified injury in practice during the week leading up to Penn State's game at Temple on Sept. 12. Coach Matt Campbell described it as "a really tough blow for our football team, and most importantly, a really tough blow for Max." Granville had been expected to play a key role as part of a re- vamped defensive end corps. In Penn State's opener against Mar- shall, his first game action since the 2024 season, he played 22 snaps and had a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup. This is the second season-ending injury of Granville's Penn State career. He missed the entire 2025 campaign with a knee injury he sustained the previous spring while home in Sugar Land, Texas, dur- ing PSU's semester break. Campbell said he's confident Granville will make a full recovery and resume his playing career. "I think we're all convinced that he'll come back better than ever from his injury," Camp- bell said. "It's a tough loss for us. It was a tough day for us. Max and his family are certainly in our thoughts and prayers. He will come back better than ever." — Greg Pickel GRANVILLE