Tag: New York Titans

Bill Mathis, an original member of the Jets franchise, has died, the team announced Thursday. He was 81.

The tough as nails running back was with the organization from its inception in 1960, when the team was known as the Titans, through the 1969 season. He spent his entire career with New York and was a key cog in the team’s Super Bowl III win and two AFL division titles.

Mathis was one of four Titans who won the Super Bowl as Jets. He had three receptions and three rushes in the victory. Mathis is also one of 20 players who played through the AFL’s entire 10-year existence and one of just seven to stay with the same team throughout that span.

A two-time AFL All-Star, Mathis retired with 3,589 yards and 37 touchdowns rushing. The Jets great totaled 5,364 yards and 46 touchdowns from the line of scrimmage. Mathis is ninth on Gang Green’s all-time rushing list.

A North Carolina native, Mathis enjoyed a career on Wall Street after his playing days. The Jets did not announce a specific cause for his death, but he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, per The New Yorker.

Mathis sued the NFL in 2012, claiming the league had deceived players regarding head injuries.