ALL-AMERICAN

New England Patriots Super Bowl Champ Dies at 51

No cause of death has been revealed so far.

Super Bowl winner Matt Stevens has died. He was 51. Early in his football career, Stevens started out as a two-time All-American at Appalachian State, helping his team reach the Southern Conference Championship in 1995. He was inducted into the university’s hall of fame before he made his way to the NFL, where the Buffalo Bills selected him as a safety in the third round of the 1996 draft. He then went on to play for eight more years in the league, jumping around from the Philadelphia Eagles to then play for Washington, before landing himself a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2001. He ended his career playing for the Houston Texans up until his retirement in 2003. A few years later in 2007, the Super Bowl champ got into a motorcycle accident and broke his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. Four years later, Stevens received special leg braces that allowed him to move around once more. Stevens was born in Chapel Hill, N.C., and is featured in Chapel Hill High School’s hall of fame. The ex-NFL player is survived by his parents, brother, and two children. A memorial service will be held on March 28 in Chapell Hill, N.C., according to his obituary. No cause of death has been revealed yet.