Actor Matthew McConaughey is always known for his big roles on the silver screen. The Wolf of Wall Street, Dazed and Confused, you can continue naming them one after the other. But before becoming the Hollywood heartthrob, Matthew had been into sports.

He had spent a twelve-year-long stint playing football before finally taking the exit door. He had been the same Matthew who inspired Texas to beat Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl and continues to hype the Longhorns till today.  

Why did Matthew McConaughey’s sports journey fizzle out?

McConaughey garnered interest in football at quite an early age. All thanks to his father, Jim McConaughey, who played end at Kentucky and Houston in between 1950 and 1952. He even made it to the NFL as the 270th pick in the 1952 draft and played with the Green Bay Packers. Matthew grew up in Texas and attended the University of Texas from 1989-93. There he pursued a bachelor of science degree in radio, television, and film. At that point in time, the Longhorns belonged to the Southwest Conference.   

Even though he had been an avid fan of football, his luck didn’t favor him when he was in Texas to be a part of the football team. He got his breakthrough in football with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Unfortunately, his interest in football soon fizzled out. Matthew once revealed the reason behind quitting sports during an interview, “I did play 12 years of soccer as a youth. I went to a Tampa Bay Rowdies camp one summer. I was never that good. I did lead the league in red cards, but that’s a longer story!”

Somewhere pursuing sports didn’t feel right for Matthew as he claimed, “So, I had interest, but it wasn’t my game as it wasn’t the quintessential American game back then.” But so what? That didn’t stop him from rooting for his favorite team. 

The McConaughey magic that landed the Longhorns a big win

Colt McCoy, on The Pat McAfee Show, once told an interesting story. This takes us back to the 2005 Super Bowl. Before the big face-off, Matthew himself went up to the then Longhorns HC Mack Brown, asking for permission to meet the team at the end of the practice. When the coach gave him a green signal, what happened next was pure magic.

Matthew was spotted ‘mumbling’ something to the team and came up with a big surprise as he confessed, “had a dream, and I’ve got this song for you guys.” And the Oscar winner started to sing, “Somebody don’t think so, somebody knows so.” This was enough to pump the Longhorns’ spirits as they made it into the anthem that helped them to snag a 39-37 victory over the Wolverines. 

And here Matthew McConaughey is all set to add another glittering chapter in Texas Longhorns’ history. The Hollywood crush is here at it again, as he is on his way to add a new feather to his hat. FOX Sports announced Matthew to be joining the broadcast crew for the “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show. Now that the die-hard fan would step into Ann Arbor, will history repeat itself? Do share your thoughts!