Matthew Stafford is an accomplished quarterback at the collegiate and NFL levels who has set NFL and franchise records.
Here are five things you might not know about Matthew Stafford.
1. Friends With An MLB Star: Anyone who has watched NFL or MLB games throughout the careers of Stafford and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will likely know this story.
Stafford and Kershaw grew up as childhood friends and played baseball, basketball, football and soccer together. The two starred on the freshman football and varsity baseball teams at Highland Park High School in Texas.
Stafford posted a 15-0 record for the football team as a senior and helped Highland win the state championship.
The two graduated in 2006 and were considered among the best pitcher and quarterback in the senior class, a rare feat happening at the same school.
2. Met Wife At College In Classic Tale: Stafford met his future wife Kelly Hall (Kelly Stafford) while attending the University of Georgia. Hall was a year behind Stafford and both attended during the 2006 to 2008 school years.
Hall was a cheerleader at the University of Georgia while Stafford became the star quarterback, bringing to life the classic quarterback and cheerleader love story often seen in movies.
The couple was married on April 4, 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia, and now have four daughters.
3. Helped Set Records For Wide Receivers: During the 2012 NFL season, Calvin Johnson set the single-season NFL record for the most yards with 1,964. Johnson finished the season with 122 receptions, 1,964 yards and five touchdowns, with Stafford starting all 16 games and throwing the majority of the passes to Johnson.
In his first season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Stafford helped wide receiver Cooper Kupp hit the receiver triple crown leading the league in three categories: Kupp finished the season with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Johnson and Kupp currently hold the number one and number two positions for the most receiving yards in a single season and share Stafford being their quarterback in common.
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4. Breaking Passing Yards Records: Stafford quickly became the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions after being drafted first overall in 2009. Stafford posted a 10-6 record in 2011, his first full NFL season. Stafford led the league with 663 pass attempts in 2011.
Through the 2021 NFL season, Stafford was the fastest player to hit 20,000 passing yards, 25,000 passing yards, 30,000 passing yards, 35,000 passing yards, 40,000 passing yards and 45,000 passing yards in the regular season.
In the 2021 season, Stafford became the fastest to hit 50,000 passing yards including playoff games. With 49,995 regular-season passing yards through the 2021 season, Stafford will likely become the fastest to hit 50,000 regular-season passing yards in the 2022 regular season.
5. Fourth Quarter Comebacks: Anyone who has watched Detroit Lions football over the last two decades has seen their fair share of losses. Fans have also seen their team trail late and win in the fourth quarter. Thanks to typically playing games from behind, Stafford quickly moved up the fourth quarter comeback leaderboard.
Through the 2021 NFL season, Stafford ranked fifth all-time with 34 fourth quarter comebacks, trailing Peyton Manning (43), Tom Brady (42), Ben Roethlisberger (41) and Drew Brees (36). Stafford may have fewer comebacks as a member of the Rams but if he has a career as long as the aforementioned players, he has a shot at topping the list.
Stafford holds the single-season record with eight fourth quarter comebacks in the 2016 NFL season.
Photo via Shutterstock.
