Matt Suhey, a fullback who helped Walter Payton and the 1985 Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl, has died. He was 68.
The Bears confirmed Suhey died on Sunday morning. No other details were provided.
Suhey played for Chicago for 10 seasons after he was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 1980 draft. He helped clear the way for Payton to become the NFL's career leading rusher, a record Payton held until Emmitt Smith surpassed his total on Oct. 27, 2002.
Suhey and Payton were close friends. Payton served as the godfather for Suhey's youngest son, Scott.
“Matt watched my dad's back, kind of like being a bodyguard or protector,” Walter's son, Jarrett, said in “A Football Life,” an NFL Network show. "He blocked for him. He took a lot of hits, making sure that my dad would get the glory, and Matt kind of just sat back in the background, very unselfish.”
Suhey was Chicago's second-leading rusher when the Bears went 15-1 during the 1985 regular season, finishing with 471 yards on the ground. Payton rushed for 1,551 yards and nine touchdowns that year.
The 1985 Bears shut out the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs before routing New England 46-10 in the Super Bowl. Suhey scored the first TD against the Patriots on an 11-yard run in the first quarter. He finished with 52 yards on 11 carries, and he also had a 24-yard reception.
The durable Suhey played in 148 regular-season games during his 10 years with the Bears, starting 100. He had 828 carries for 2,946 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 260 receptions for 2,113 yards and five TDs.
Suhey, a Pennsylvania native, played his college ball for Penn State, following in the footsteps of his father, Steve, a guard who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Matt Suhey rushed for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns on 633 carries for the Nittany Lions. He also caught 39 passes for 328 yards and two TDs.
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FILE - Penn State's running back Matt Suhey (32) runs with the ball during the fourth period of a college football game against Temple at University Park, Penn., Nov. 17, 1979. (AP Photo/Fred Prouser, File)
FILE - Chicago Bears running back Matt Suhey (26), leaps through the air during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Dec. 12, 1982. (AP Photo/Gary Stewart, File)
FILE - Chicago Bear's Matt Suhey (26) heads for a touchdown during the NFL Super Bowl 20 football game against the New England Patriots in New Orleans, Jan. 26, 1986. (AP Photo, File)
BERLIN (AP) — France set a record for 3-pointers in a single game at the women’s FIBA World Cup while Spain and host Germany progressed after winning their final group games Monday.
France scored an unprecedented 22 triples in a comprehensive 111-56 victory over already-eliminated Nigeria.
Migna Toure’s 3-point shot with 5:45 left was her team’s 21st, breaking the three-day-old record of 20 set by Japan on Friday for 3-pointers in a single contest in World Cup history. Dominique Malonga notched the 22nd.
Gabby Williams led France with 25 points and 6 rebounds. The Olympic finalists were already assured of their place in the quarterfinals.
Also in Group B, Hungary defeated South Korea 82-73 to finish second in the group.
Iyana Martin led Spain to a 79-59 win over Japan with 20 points and four rebounds, sending Spain (2-1) straight through to the quarterfinals as Group A winner because of its head-to-head record against Germany.
Frieda Bühner helped Germany (2-1) to a comfortable 83-58 win over Mali with 21 points, followed by Luisa Geiselsöder with 17.
Alima Dembélé’s two free throws at the start gave Mali (1-2) its only lead as the host made sure of progress from a group that had been wide open as all teams had 1-1 records before their final games.
After the buzzer the German players went over to a corner and danced with the crowd. They then did a lap around the court and high-fived fans as they went off.
“There's no celebration,” Germany coach Olaf Lange said. "The turnaround to tomorrow is too fast. The players need to recover now. Things get going again first thing tomorrow morning.”
Germany faces South Korea on Tuesday to decide which progresses to the quarterfinals.
Japan finished third in the group while Mali was eliminated despite its shock win over Spain on Saturday. Japan next plays Hungary on Tuesday.
Emma Meesseman led Belgium to the quarterfinals with 22 points and 10 rebounds as it topped Australia 80-68 for first place in Group C.
The European champion was now off until Thursday.
Australia faces a qualifying playoff on Wednesday against the loser of the Italy-China matchup later Monday.
Belgium had a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and bolted in an 11-2 run. The Opals couldn’t couldn't recover. Belgium’s Julie Allemand finished with seven assists to give her an all-time record 111 in World Cup play.
Puerto Rico finished strong to eliminate Turkey 75-71 in their final group game earlier.
Arella Guirantes led Puerto Rico with 21 points.
Puerto Rico was trailing by seven points going into the final quarter but Imani McGee-Stafford scored and Pamela Rosado followed with two 3-pointers to take a 59-58 lead.
Turkey power forward Elif Bayram went off early in the final quarter with an apparent left leg injury.
Turkey fans outnumbered their counterparts at Berlin’s Max-Schmeling-Halle and they tried to put off Guirantes but couldn’t stop her from securing the win with two free throws.
Puerto Rico next plays the winner of Italy-China on Wednesday.
The four group winners progress directly to Thursday’s quarterfinals, while the teams that finish second and third face playoffs Tuesday or Wednesday to determine which advances also. The bottom teams are eliminated.
Italy (1-1), after coming close to upsetting the United States on Sunday night, faces China (1-1) to decide second place in Group D. The U.S. (2-0) has already advanced to the quarterfinals before its final group game against the Czech Republic, which was eliminated after two losses.
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Mali's Maimouna Haidara shoots over Germany's Leonie Fiebich during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between the Germany and Mali in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Mali's Sika Kone shoots over Germany's Marie Guelich during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between the Germany and Mali in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Mali's Aminata Sangar and Germany's Lina Sontag fight for the ball during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between the Germany and Mali in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Germany's Frieda Buhner guards Mali's Mama Cisse during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between the Germany and Mali in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
German players react during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between the Germany and Mali in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Korea's Jin An blocks France's Pauline Astier during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between France and Korea in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Korea's Kang Yoo-lim guards France's Gabby Williams during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between France and Korea in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
France's Marine Johannes shoots during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between France and Korea in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Puerto Rico's Zaida Gonzalez fouls Belgium's Emma Meesseman fouls [b during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between Puerto Rico and Belgium in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Puerto Rico's Denise Solís guards Belgium's Emma Meesseman during the Women's Basketball World Cup match between Puerto Rico and Belgium in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
