FOXBORO, Mass. — Jackie Slater is a busy man.
The Hall of Fame offensive tackle coaches O-linemen at Division II Azusa Pacific University and also does work with his old NFL team, the Los Angeles Rams. That doesn’t leave him much free time to do things like, say, watch his son, Matthew, work his magic on special teams for the New England Patriots.
Matthew Slater’s father was able to attend just one Patriots game this season, when the Rams visited Gillette Stadium in early December. And in a cruel twist, Slater was inactive for that game, recovering from a foot injury he’d suffered two weeks earlier.
The elder Slater plans to be at NRG Stadium next Sunday to watch New England take on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, however, and the Patriots co-captain hopes to make the most of the opportunity to play in front of his role model.
“It’s tough for him to travel, so I really appreciate when he’s able to get to games,” Matthew Slater said Thursday. “It means a lot to me. I got into football because of my dad. As a son, you look to a father, and any son who has a father that’s present in the home and is a good role model, wants to do what his father does. And for me, it just so happened that my dad played football.
“So my love of the game and passion for the sport has come from him. Whenever he’s in the house, I’m always trying to go as hard as I can, trying to make plays and wanting to make him proud.”
The Rams never won a Super Bowl during Jackie Slater’s 20 years with the team. They reached the big game once — falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV — and lost in the NFC Championship Game four times.
His son has been far more fortunate in that regard. This will be Matthew Slater’s third Super Bowl appearance in nine seasons with the Patriots, and the perennial Pro Bowl special teamer is seeking his second ring.
“I think it hit me the other night,” Slater said. “Talking to my wife, talking to my dad, who maybe is a little jealous of me. But it’s really unbelievable to think that in the last six years, we’ve been to three of these. Guys play 20 years and go to one or none. So we’re really thankful for the position that we’re in. We’re excited about the opportunity to play one last football game with this group of guys, and we don’t take it for granted.”
Slater said his mother, brother, wife and young son also will be making the trip to Houston for the game.
“You think about the Super Bowl experience, and it’s the pinnacle of any player’s career to be able to play in the Super Bowl,” Slater said. “And to be able to share it with the people that you love most, that’s really important. So to have all my family there and my son, who has given me new purpose, new motivation as I work later in my career, it’s really been great for me.
“He’ll have no clue what’s going on, but we’ll be able tell him one day, ‘You were at Super Bowl LI.’ That’s pretty cool.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
