Matt Forte

Matt Forte

Matt Forte during the 2008 season.
No. 22
Running Back
Personal information
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College: Tulane
NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44
Debuted in 2008 for the Chicago Bears
Career history
Chicago Bears (2008–2015) New York Jets (2016–2017)
Roster status: Inactive
Career highlights and awards
College awards and honors 2x Pro Bowl (2011, 2013) Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Week 12, 2008) NFC Offensive Player Of The Week (Week 1, 2010)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2011
Stats at NFL.com

Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985 in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulane. Forte spent eight years with the Bears before playing for the New York Jets for two seasons.

Early years

He grew up in Slidell, Louisiana.

College career

Forte played NCAA Division I college football at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, a member of Conference USA. Forte lettered for four years and played for 3 while pursuing a degree in finance. His junior year was cut short when he suffered an injury in the game against Marshall University. His standout season was his senior year, coming off a knee injury, Forte set several Tulane school records, including rushing for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns. He had five 200+ yard rushing games and two 300+ yard games during the 2007 season. Forte was the only non-BCS athlete to be a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards and to make the Walter Camp Player of the Year List, and one of just 3 players nationally to be named to all three lists.

Senior Bowl

Forte garnered the most buzz at the 2008 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and walked away with the Overall MVP award. He led with 59 yards rushing on 8 carries; 4 receptions for 38 yards and a tackle on special teams.

Awards and honors

• Conference USA All-Freshman (2004)
• 2× All-Conference USA (2005, 2007)
• Third-team AP All-American (2007)
• Doak Walker Award semifinalist (2007)
• Maxwell Award semifinalist (2007)
• Senior Bowl MVP (2008)

Professional career

2008

Pre-draft measureables
Wt	40 Yard Dash	20 Yard shuttle	60 yard shuttle	3 cone drill	Vertical jump	Bench press
217 lb	4.46s	4.23s	11.49	6.84

(All results are from the 2008 NFL Combine)

File:BearsPanthers.jpg

Forte takes a handoff from Kyle Orton.

The Chicago Bears drafted Forte in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft as the forty-fourth overall selection. He was originally drafted to compete with Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson for the team's starting running back position. However, Benson was released from the Bears after struggling with legal issues, leaving Forte to compete with Peterson and second-year running back Garrett Wolfe. Forte made his regular season debut on September 7, 2008, against the Indianapolis Colts. He carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards (setting a franchise record for most yards gained in a running back debut) and scored his first career touchdown on a then-career long 50 yard run en route to a 29-13 victory over the Colts. His efforts earned him Sunday Night Football’s “Horse Trailer Player of the Game” award. He is a very talented running back, with both receiving and running talents.

Forte became the first Chicago Bears running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season since Anthony Thomas rushed for 1,183 yards in 2001. He would finish with 1,238 yards rushing on the year as well as finishing with 1,715 yards from scrimmage (Rushing and Receiving). This was good enough for third in the entire league and it broke Hall of Famer Gale Sayer's former team record of 1,374 in 1965. Forte led all rookie running backs in total yards and receptions. He received one vote for the National Football League Rookie of the Year Award, finishing behind Ryan Clady, Chris Johnson, and Matt Ryan.

2009

Forte recorded 271 yards over the first four games of the 2009 season. He had his first big game of the season during Week 4, against the Detroit Lions, during which he rushed for 121 yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season.

2010

In 2010, Matt Forte was backed up by fellow running back Chester Taylor. In a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, Forte ran for an 89-yard touchdown, which would have been the longest run in Bears history if it had occurred during a regular season game. In Week 1 of the 2010 season, Matt Forte had two receiving touchdowns, one of 89 and one of 28, the latter of which was the game-winner. Forte was named NFC offensive player of the week for Week 1. In Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Forte had touchdown runs of 18 and 68 yards, the latter a career long, on the way to 166 total rushing yards on the day. Forte was named FedEx Ground Player of the Week for this week.

In Week 11, during the season's first Thursday Night Football game, playing on the road against the Miami Dolphins, Forte rushed for 97 yards on 25 carries and scored the game's only touchdown on a 2-yard run in the 4th quarter as the Bears shutout the Dolphins, 16-0.

2011

On October 2, 2011, Forte rushed for a career high 205 yards and 1 touchdown in the Week 4 match up against the Carolina Panthers. Entering the team's week 8 bye, Forte has rushed for 672 yards and has 38 receptions for 419 yards, leading the Chicago Bears in both categories. He also leads the NFL in total yards. In a November 7 game against the Eagles, Forte, along with Herschel Walker, became the only players to have 700 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in his first 4 seasons. Forte sprained his MCL in a loss to the Chiefs, and was eventually placed on injured reserve. However, he was placed on the NFC squad for the 2012 Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

2012

On March 2, 2012, Forte was given the franchise tag by the Bears. On July, 16th, Forte signed a 4-year/$32 million contract extension with the Bears.

Career Statistics

• Through Week 13

Season	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FUM	Lost
2011*	Chicago	12	12	203	997	4.9	46	3	52	490	9.4	56T	1	2	2
2010	Chicago	16	16	237	1,069	4.5	68T	6	51	547	10.7	89T	3	3	2
2009	Chicago	16	16	258	929	3.6	61	4	57	471	8.3	37	0	6	3
2008	Chicago	16	16	316	1,238	3.9	50T	8	63	477	7.6	19	4	1	1
	Total	60	60	1,014	4,233	4.2	68	21	223	1,985	8.9	89	8	12	8

Personal life

Forte earned a degree in Finance from Tulane University in May 2009. In his spare time, Forte enjoys playing video games, especially Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Forte was also the runner up in the 2008 Rookie Madden Bowl, finishing second to future Bears teammate Devin Thomas. Forte followed his father who played for the Green Wave at Tulane University in the 1970s.

External links

• Official Website
• Chicago Bears bio
• Tulane Green Wave bio