It’s well known that playing in the NFL is a dangerous game. Huge men slam their bodies into each other countless times a day during the season, causing wear and tear not only on their bodies, but their brains as well. What do they get for sacrificing themselves to the game? Sometimes fame and fortune if things go well, maybe even a Super Bowl ring. Lifelong injuries and destitution if they don’t, and sometimes an untimely death, like what happened with Matt Ulrich, who passed away at 41 Nov. 5, 2023. What was his cause of death? Read on to find out.
Who was Matt Ulrich?
Matt Ulrich was an offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts. It’s a particularly tough position, as it involves blocking on the offensive line. Right guards constantly smash into other players, protect the quarterback during pass plays and create holes through brute force for running backs to run through. He was born on Dec. 30, 1981 in Streamwood, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. In Kindergarten, he loved to play with the train set. In high school, he would skip with friends to go to downtown Chicago and hang out.
He loved Nirvana and partying, and he played high school football for Streamwood High. While he was there, he won All-State and All-Midwest honors and also participated in shot put. He then went to Northwestern University to play, where he was named team captain and received an All Big Ten Honorable Mention. His dedication to the sport also earned him recognition as a National Strength and Conditioning All-American athlete. He still has records that haven’t been broken since 2004, including squat, bench press and incline press.
He signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2005 as an undrafted free agent and spent two years with the team. In 2006, he was part of the team that won the Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears. His career was short; he only played the two seasons and then retired. After football, he started a sports performance clinic in Chicago, then met his wife Alison and worked at Profitable Ideas Exchange in Bozeman, Montana, as a partner and chief growth officer.
He had four pre-teen sons whom he called “the highlight of his life.” He coached young athletes and helped them “reach their full potential,” and he called coaching one of his passions. “I can also often be found at the gym, where I recently bench-pressed 505 pounds at the age of 40 — the goal-setting doesn’t stop!” he said in his company bio.
Matt Ulrich’s Death
Colts owner Jim Irsay announced Ulrich’s death on Nov. 8: “I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich. Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad—and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family,” he said in a post on X. His wife Alison followed up the news with a post of her own on his Facebook page.
“As many of you know, our beloved, one of a kind Matt has passed away and is in a better place,” she said. “Matt, we love you so so much. You are profoundly missed. We all want you back for just one more day. One more hug. One more kiss. One more laugh. One more joke. One more wrestle with the boys.” She went on to say that her four sons Gunther, Dalton, Bowden and Thoreau “lost their greatest fan, coach, and friend” and asked that everyone pray for “peace and comfort for the boys.”
While he was in the NFL, Ulrich was a player advisor associated with the Harvard Football Players Health Study. His official cause of death was never released, but a childhood friend named Mark Victoria wrote a heartfelt Facebook post and said that “On Monday I found out my friend Matt Ulrich took his own life. The details are not fully known, but a piece of me died that day too.”
Victoria shared a number of pictures and memories in the post. “I remember going to Indy seeing [him] play for the Colts and eventually texting him before Super Bowl XLI saying, ‘hey man, go Bears, but more importantly, GO YOU!'”
His family donated some of his brain for CTE research.
