Former Chicago Bears fullback Matt Suhey was found dead inside his suburban home on Sunday afternoon. Emergency workers arrived at his house on Carriage Way around 2:00 p.m. after a call came in about an unresponsive man. Local first responders pronounced him dead at the scene shortly after. He was 68 years old.
Officials with the Lake County Coroner’s Office said there were no signs of foul play surrounding his death. Early checks point to a possible medical issue, though authorities have not released an official cause. His sudden passing caught former teammates and close friends completely off guard.
Suhey grew up in Pennsylvania before taking the field for Penn State in college. The Bears picked him up in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, starting a ten-year run where he stayed in Chicago his entire career. He played in 148 regular-season games and started 100 of them.
Over his decade with the Bears, Suhey put up 2,946 rushing yards and scored 20 touchdowns on the ground. He was just as helpful in the passing game, catching 260 passes for 2,113 yards and another five touchdowns. He earned a reputation as a tough, dependable back who rarely missed a game.
Fans remember him best for his role on the famous 1985 Bears team that went 15-1 in the regular season. Suhey was the team’s second-leading rusher that year, finishing with 471 yards on the ground. That group rolled through the playoffs before beating New England in Super Bowl XX.
During that Super Bowl victory, Suhey scored the game’s first touchdown on an 11-yard run in the opening quarter. He finished the 46-10 blowout with 52 rushing yards and a 24-yard reception. The win secured Chicago’s first and only Super Bowl championship.
After retiring in 1989, Suhey stuck around the Chicago area and got into business. He worked as a commodities trader at the Chicago Board of Trade and later ran a bottled water company. He kept a quiet routine in Deerfield while remaining connected to his old team until his death.
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