Matt Bryant is an American Pro Bowl football player who plays in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons having previously represented teams in three different leagues. The placekicker is best known for being the third oldest player in NFL history to feature in a Super Bowl.
Matt Bryant Biography (Age)
Steven Matt Bryant, son of Casey and Mary Bryant, was born on May 29, 1975 in Orange, Texas. From an early age, Bryant was very fond of sports and was spoiled for choice between football and baseball, as he displayed considerable talent in both areas.
Bryant attended Bridge City High School in BridgeCity, Texas before enrolling at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. After two years at Trinity Valley, where he was a member of the 1994 National Championship team and a two-time NJCAA All-American player, Bryant transferred to Oregon State University but then moved on to Baylor University where he played his last two collegiate seasons. As a member of the Baylor Bears football team, Bryant scored 105 points to rank seventh on the school’s goalscoring list. He further set a school record with a 100 percent success rate in scoring extra points, while managing to score all of his 42 attempts.
After graduating from Baylor, Matt Bryant worked at a pawn shop and as a personal trainer after he went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft. Despite the disappointment, Bryant did not give up his dreams of playing in the NFL. He understood that he might need to prove himself before qualifying for the League. This prompted him to sign with Arena Football League team the Iowa Barnstormers in November 1999, although he was also dropped from their roster just before the start of their regular season.
Matt Bryant’s next stop was in New York with the Giants in January 2002. But he was immediately sent to Europe to join NFL Europe team Berlin Thunder. Bryant was unlucky as he suffered a quadriceps injury which meant he was dropped from the team. The Giants again sent him to Frankfurt Galaxy, another NFL Europe team, but that same injury kept him out of a game. In September 2002, Bryant was healed from his injury and was able to line up for the Giants in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. His first season in the NFL turned out to be a solid season as he scored 30 of 32 points, and 26 of 32 field goal attempts.
Bryant remained with the Giants until July 30, 2004, when he was cut from the team. A month later, he joined the Dallas Cowboys roster, but was cut a few weeks later. He then spent about a week with the Indianapolis Colts and three weeks with the Miami Dolphins in 2004 before finding a new home in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers. Bryant spent four solid years in Tampa before his release on September 5, 2009.
As a free agent, Matt Bryant had a brief stint with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League before being signed by the Atlanta Falcons. He played for the team for nine whole years and his current contract will expire after the 2020 season.
His family
Matt Bryant is married to Melissa Bryant who was Melissa Gay Gigliotta was born on December 24, 1977 in Beaumont, Texas. It is not known exactly when the couple got married or how they met. They have been together for almost two decades and have a total of seven children. The oldest are in college and the youngest in kindergarten. Like their father, the Bryant children want to become professional athletes, with some focusing on football, while the others participate in basketball and cheerleading.
Together, Matt and Melissa run the Matthew TrysonBryant Foundation which they created in honor of their son Tryson, who died in his sleep just three months old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The foundation seeks to raise awareness of SIDS and send the proceeds of its profits to the non-profit organization, March of Dimes, which cares for mothers and babies.
Height, weight, body stats and other facts
Birth name: Steven Matt Bryant
Date of birth: May 29, 1975
Place of birth: Orange, Texas
Height: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75m)
Weight: 203 pounds (92 kg)