FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Patriots receiver and special teams captain Matthew Slater was recently honored with the Bart Starr award for showing exemplary leadership and character on and off the field.
But it’s not the first award to be won in his family. His father, NFL Hall-of-Famer Jackie Slater, won it in 1995.
Matthew Slater’s achievement made them the first father-son tandem to accomplish that.
“I had in my mind the greatest example in the world,” Slater said of his father. “It’s really humbling for me.”
Jackie Slater, an offensive tackle, played his entire career with the Rams in Los Angeles and St. Louis. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, compared to Matthew’s six Pro Bowl honors.
“Any young man who has a great dad and role model in the home wants to be just like his dad,” Slater said. “I’ve just been blessed to have the career path that I have and be able to do what my dad did.”
But Matthew Slater has already played in more Super Bowls than his dad. Jackie played in just one and lost. Matthew will be playing in his third and has one win under his belt.
Slater said the most important lessons he learned from his dad were not about football, but on how to be an upstanding person.
Slater said he hopes to make his dad proud in Super Bowl LI.
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