Matt Bryant is a former Pro Bowl American football player who plays for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL), having previously represented teams in three different leagues. The placekicker is best known for being the third oldest player in NFL history to play 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 a very young age, Bryant was a sports enthusiast and was spoilt for choice between football and baseball, as he showed considerable talent in both sports.
Bryant attended Bridge City High School in Bridge City, Texas before enrolling at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. After two years at Trinity Valley, where he was a member of the national team in 1994 and NJCAA All-American twice, Bryant transferred to Oregon State University but later returned to Baylor University where he spent his two remaining college seasons. During his time as part of the Baylor Bears soccer team, Bryant scored 105 points, placing seventh in the school’s overall scoring record. He also set a school record by achieving a 100% success rate in scoring extra points as he managed to score all 42 of his attempts.
After graduating from Baylor, Matt Bryant took a job in a pawn shop and as a personal trainer after he was not drafted in the 1999 NFL Draft. Despite the disappointment, Bryant never gave up on his dream of playing in the NFL. He realized that he might have to prove himself elsewhere before he could make it to the league. This prompted him to sign with the Arena Football League team, the Iowa Barnstormers, in November 1999, although he was also removed from their squad just before the start of the regular season.
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Matt Bryant’s next stop was New York with the Giants in January 2002, but then he was immediately sent to Europe to join the NFL Europe team Berlin Thunder. Bryant was unlucky, as he suffered from a quadriceps injury that led to him being kicked off the team. The Giants sent him back to Frankfurt Galaxy, another NFL Europe team, but the same injury prevented him from playing a single game. In September 2002, Bryant healed from his injury and was able to play a game against the San Francisco 49ers for the Giants. His first season in the NFL turned out to be a solid season in which he scored 30 of 32 extra points and 26 of 32 field goals.
Bryant remained with the Giants until July 30, 2004, when he was eliminated from the team. A month later, he was added to the Dallas Cowboys list but was removed a few weeks later. In 2004, he spent about a week with the Indianapolis Colts and three weeks with the Miami Dolphins before finding a new home with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Bryant spent four good years in Tampa before being released 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 has played for the team for nine years, with his current contract expiring after the 2020 season.
His Family
Matt Bryant is married to Melissa Bryant, who was born on December 24, 1977, as Melissa Gay Gigliotta in Beaumont, Texas. It is not clear exactly when the couple married or how they met, but they have been together for nearly two decades and have a total of seven children, the oldest of whom are in college and the youngest in kindergarten. Like their father, the Bryant children want to become professional athletes, with some focusing on soccer while the others play basketball and cheerleading.
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Matt and Melissa jointly run the Matthew Tryson Bryant Foundation, which they established in honor of their son Tryson, who died in his sleep from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at the age of just three months. The foundation seeks to raise awareness of SIDS and sends the proceeds to the March of Dimes charity, 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 (1.75 m)
Weight: 203 pounds (92 kg)