Burt Matthies

Burt Matthies is a 1966 graduate of Wayne State College. At the time of his induction, he was the Chief Probation Officer for the entire Nebraska District of the U.S. court system, and he resided in Omaha. A Stanton, Neb., native, he graduated from Stanton High School and then joined the service. After leaving the service, he attended WSC from 1962 to 1966, receiving a bachelor's degree in Physical Education with a minor in Biological Science. A four-year football letterman for Coach John Jermier's Wildcats, Matthies served as captain his senior year. He broke in with a bang, tallying 23 touchdowns and gaining 1,399 yards during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He averaged more than 100 yards per game during his sophomore and junior years and had more than an 80-yard average per game over his career. Perhaps the least known but most impressive fact is that he lost just 35 rushing yards throughout his career. He was the Wildcat's punter his junior and senior seasons and boasted a sparkling 43.4-yard average his last year, including a school-record 83-yarder against Minnesota-Morris. He was nationally ranked as a punter both seasons. Wayne State was 21-14 during Matthies's playing days. He was an All-Conference selection all four years and an honorable mention All-American during three of those campaigns. At the time of his induction, he stood as the all-time football scoring king in the WSC annals with 234 points. His 2,882 rushing yards were third on the Cats' all-time charts, and his 2,958 yards in total offense was fourth-best at WSC. Matthies was drafted in the ninth round by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams back in the days of the 20-round draft. After being cut by the Rams, he returned to Nebraska and played for the semi-pro Omaha Mustangs for three seasons. In 1980, Matthies was honored by induction into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. He taught for six years, then joined the U.S. court system as a probation officer. Matthies was inducted into the WSC Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 18, 1982.