Former New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Matt Stevens has died at the age of 51, the team announced on Thursday.
Stevens was a third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1996 out of Appalachian State. He began his career with the Bills before moving to Philadelphia, Washington, New England and then Houston.
A defensive back, Stevens had 301 tackles, 13 interceptions and a sack during his NFL career. He played in 15 of 16 regular-season games for the Patriots in 2001, making four starts. That was the team that kicked off the Patriots’ dynasty, winning their first Super Bowl with a surprising 20-17 win over the Rams.
Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down after being involved in a motorcycle crash in 2007, though he later was able to regain movement using a ReWalk device.
Stevens was a two-time All-American in college and part of Appalachian State’s Hall of Fame.
Here are some nice highlights from Stevens’ NFL career.
