TRANSACTIONS:

Originally signed by the Giants as a rookie free agent on May 8, 2007.

GIANTS NOTE:

-           Matthews was 1 of 2 rookie free agents to make the Giants opening day roster out of training camp in 2007. The other was safety Craig Dahl.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

-           As a rookie, played in all 16 regular season games with 6 starts and all 4 postseason games with 1 start…Caught 6 passes for 28 yards and was an important contributor to the Giants’ rushing attack with his strong blocking. 

-           Made his 1^st NFL start and caught his 1^st pass vs. Green Bay (9/16). The catch was a 5-yarder…Started and saw action in double tight end formations vs. the Jets (10/7) and finished with 1 reception for 6 yards.

-           Started vs. New England in Super Bowl XLII (2/3) when the Giants opened the game in a double tight

end formation…Did not have any receptions.

COLLEGE:

-           Played 35 games with 14 starts…Caught 9 passes for 101 yards…Shared the tight end duties with fellow senior George Cooper his last 2 years and was primarily a blocker…As a senior in 2006 he caught 4 passes for 43 yards…As a junior, he caught 4 passes for 48 yards.

OFF-THE-FIELD ACTIVITY:

-           Joined teammates to visit wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C. prior to the Super Bowl champions’ trip to the White House.

-           Participated in the 2007 Giants Foundation Golf Outing.

-           Showed off his culinary expertise in the Giants Player Developments’ “Gridiron Chef Cook-off.”

-           Attended the Giants’ annual fundraiser dinner benefitting The Ronald McDonald House of NYC.

-           Joined numerous teammates to head over to the Ronald McDonald House of NYC for a summer barbeque with the kids and their families.

-           Attended a fundraiser dinner for My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence shelter for women and their children that has been dedicated as the “Giants Courage House.”

-           Thanked firefighters from Englewood, N.J. for their daily commitment to our community with a visit as part of the Giants annual “Adopt a Firehouse” program.

-           Attended a fundraiser benefitting the Feel Good Foundation.

-           Served as a guest speaker at the Iona Grammar School’s 2008 Father-Son Breakfast.

-           Joined Mayor Bloomberg and Rich Seubert to off-load donated food from the Mayor of Boston for Second Harvest following the Giants’ Super Bowl victory.

PERSONAL

-           Married, Michael and his wife Laura have 2 children, Dominic and Lariah

-           Was a 2-way standout at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, where he was a 1st-team all-conference and all-city honoree and 2nd-team all-district selection

-           Caught 22 passes for 300 yards as a senior.

-           Also lettered in basketball and baseball.

-           Majored in Management.

-           Born Michael Lee Matthews on Oct. 9, 1983.

-           Parents are Michael and Anna Matthews.