Throwback Thursday: Remembering former Falcons WR Terance Mathis

Hey Falcoholics, I’m back with another edition of The Falcoholic’s Throwback Thursday series. This weekly segment highlights a former Atlanta Falcons’ player and discusses what they did for the franchise.

Whether you’ve been a fan since the inaugural season, or just became a fan recently, this series will give insight on players from the past. Without further ado, let’s reminisce about former Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis.

Terance Mathis was born in Detroit, Michigan, but then moved to the state of Georgia, where he played high school football in Stone Mountain for Redan High School. Mathis played quarterback for Redan in high school, but then switched to wide receiver in college where he played for the University of New Mexico.

At New Mexico, Mathis had a solid collegiate career, totaling 263 catches, 4,254 yards, and 36 touchdowns in four seasons. In the 1990 NFL Draft, Terance Mathis was selected in the sixth round by the New York Jets. For his first few seasons, the Jets primarily used Mathis as a kick returner, and he never caught over 30 passes in a season while playing for them.

In 1994, the Atlanta Falcons signed Terance Mathis as an unrestricted free agent. His first season with the Falcons was arguably the best season of his NFL career, as he had a franchise-record 111 catches, and added 11 receiving touchdowns.

Following that season, Mathis was selected to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team. He was selected as the Atlanta Falcons’ “Man of the Year” in 1998 for his accomplishments on and off the field.

Also that season, Mathis made his first NFL postseason appearance and got to play for the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII against the Denver Broncos. Even though he led the Falcons in receptions during the game, it wasn’t enough to deliver them a victory. Two years later, he passed Andre Rison on the Falcons all-time touchdown list.

Terance Mathis went on to have three more quality seasons with the Falcons before being released by the team following the 2001 NFL season. Mathis then signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he lasted one season, and then he retired from the NFL following the 2002 season. Currently, Mathis is second all-time in career two-point conversions with six, behind Marshall Faulk’s seven.

Since retiring, Mathis has served as the Vice President of Marketing for NASCAR’s Leavine Family Racing, and became the head coach at Pinecrest Academy in 2017.

I’ll never forget the receiving tandem of Terance Mathis and Tony Martin during the 1998 season. Both wide receivers eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, giving the Falcons a formidable passing attack, which helped lead the team to its first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Tell me your favorite Terance Mathis moments below.

If you’ve missed any of the past segments, on players such as Jessie “The Hammer” Tuggle and Tommy “Mr. Falcon” Nobis, you can check them out by clicking the group link above. As always, you can find me on Twitter @EvanBirchfield. Additionally, make sure to follow The Falcoholic on Instagram for up-to-date news and information. Thanks for reading, Falcoholics.