Matt Forte

Sport: Football

Induction Year: 2023

University: Tulane

A former Tulane star, Forte, who played at Slidell High School, was one of the NFL’s top dual threat running backs during his 10-year career with the Chicago Bears (2008-15) and New York Jets (2016-17). … Retired at the age of 32 in Feb. 2018 with 9,796 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns and caught 554 passes for 4,672 yards and 21 TDs for a total of 14,468 yards from scrimmage with 75 TDs. … A two-time Pro Bowler, Forte was a second-round pick (No. 44 overall) of the Bears in 2008 and became a five-time 1,000-yard rusher…. On the centennial anniversary of the NFL in 2019, Forte came in at No. 34 on the Bears’ list of the Top 100 players in club history. … A two-time winner of the franchise’s Brian Piccolo Award, given each year to a rookie and veteran who best exemplifies “the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor of Brian Piccolo,” Forte was selected to the All-Rookie team after a brilliant NFL debut season in which he had 1,238 rushing yards (a franchise rookie record) and eight TDs and added 63 receptions for 477 yards and four scores. … Forte produced a career-best 1,339 rushing yards in 2013 and was voted to his second Pro Bowl (he first made it in 2011). … In 2014, he rushed for 1,038 yards and caught 102 passes for 808 yards … One of three backs in NFL history with 1,000 rushing yards and 100 catches in a season (LaDainian Tomlinson, 2003; Christian McCaffrey, 2018). … Forte had 26 100-yard rushing games and his 8,602 rushing yards with the Bears puts him second on the fabled franchise’s all-time list behind only Walter Payton, who had 16,726 yards in 13 seasons. … Payton averaged 88.0 yards per game to Forte’s 71.7. … Forte rushed for a career-high 205 yards on 25 carries in a 34-29 win over the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 2, 2011. … Since his retirement, Forte has dabbled in acting, making an appearance on the hit NBC drama Chicago Fire in Feb. 2020. … At Tulane, Forte had a breakout season as a senior with a school-record 2,127 rushing yards – 11 fewer yards than he had in his first three seasons combined – and averaged 5.9 yards per carry with a school-record 23 TDs. … Rushed for 342 yards vs. SMU, 303 yards vs. Southeastern and 278 yards vs. Memphis – accounting for the top three rushing games in school history. … Forte’s 4,265 rushing yards are second in school annals behind Mewelde Moore’s 4,364 yards. … A two-time All-Conference USA pick, Forte was MVP of the 2008 Senior Bowl. … Born 12-10-1985 in Lake Charles.