DEERFIELD, IL. (THECOUNT) — Matt Suhey, the former Chicago Bears fullback who helped lead the franchise to its 1985 NFL championship alongside Hall of Famer Walter Payton, has died at 68 after being found unresponsive Sunday at his Deerfield home, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office and the Chicago Bears.
Suhey was discovered unresponsive in his home in the 500 block of Carriage Way at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday. The Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District responded and pronounced him deceased at the scene at approximately 2:21 p.m.
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The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified by the Deerfield Police Department approximately 20 minutes later.
Suhey’s death was unexpected to former teammates and those close to him. Coroner’s officials said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and indicated it was possibly medical-related. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
The Bears confirmed Suhey’s death but did not release additional details.
Suhey grew up in Pennsylvania and played college football at Penn State before Chicago selected him in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft. He spent his entire 10-season NFL career with the Bears, playing from 1980 through 1989.
Suhey appeared in 148 regular-season games, starting 100, and recorded 828 carries for 2,946 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 260 passes for 2,113 yards and five touchdowns.
His primary role in Chicago was often to clear the way for Payton, helping one of the greatest running backs in NFL history find running lanes during the Bears’ dominant rushing years. Suhey and Payton developed a close friendship away from football, and Payton became the godfather of Suhey’s youngest son, Scott.
That friendship continued after Payton’s death in 1999. Walter’s son, Jarrett Payton, described Suhey as his father’s closest friend and said Suhey became a major father figure in his life.
“When everything felt uncertain, he was there,” Jarrett said in a statement Monday, describing Suhey as someone who protected and looked after the Payton family for years.
Suhey was the Bears’ second-leading rusher during the 1985 regular season, when Chicago finished 15-1. He rushed for 471 yards that season as the Bears advanced through the playoffs and reached Super Bowl XX.
In the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, Suhey scored the game’s first touchdown on an 11-yard run in the opening quarter. He finished the 46-10 Chicago victory with 52 rushing yards on 11 carries and added a 24-yard reception as the Bears captured their first Super Bowl championship.
Suhey retired from football after the 1989 season. During his offseasons with the Bears, he traded at the Chicago Board of Trade and later became a full-time trader. He also owned a bottled water company.
Suhey remained connected to the Bears and his former teammates after his playing career ended. His death marks the loss of another prominent member of the legendary 1985 Chicago championship team.
Deerfield is a village in Lake County in suburban Chicago, approximately 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. The community is part of the North Shore area of the Chicago metropolitan region, where Suhey lived during his post-NFL years.
Google Maps: 500 Carriage Way, Deerfield, Illinois
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