Image courtesy of ESPN.
If you happen to be walking through Union City, New Jersey and see a Josue Matias NFL jersey in the window of a business (don’t ask me where, that’s weird!) you may wonder what the backstory is (I did, and I was). This felt like an excellent opportunity to discuss this hometown hero for the second edition of Hispanic Heritage Month 2024.
Josue Matias Is A Big Deal
Matias holds a record that is hugely significant. He was the first Dominican born player to play in the NFL ever. In 2015. The NFL is often far too late with these things, but thankfully they bettered themselves with the drafting of such a special individual like Josue Matias.
The Life and Times of Matias
The former NFL player was born in the Dominican republic and immigrated to America with his family when he was just 6 or 7. His father was a custodian at Union City High School and his mother was a teacher’s aide. Thankfully his older half-brothers were there to introduce him to football, because his dad wasn’t going to do it. As Matias tells it his dad wanted him to be the next Sammy Sosa. He recalls his father crying after he hit a two-out, walk-off home run in the little leagues. The little boy hated baseball and he wasn’t shy about it.
That hatred for baseball likely helped him push through peer-pressure as a teen. His peers would make fun of him for wasting his size and talent on football. Matias laughed his way to the bank many times remembering that, probably.
An injury sidelined Matias for the majority of his senior year and he thought his college dreams were over. In a heart-warming conversation with his dad Josue said “help me do what it takes to master my craft and I’ll make it for all of us, I’ll get us out of here.” Little did they know that meant surgery and rehab.
Thankfully that was not the end of his college dreams as he was courted by many colleges, including D-1 universities. The college drafting process was complicated for the young man and his family as they had a language barrier with a lot of the recruiters.
College Ball
The entryway from high school to college was a bumpy process for the young man. He initially committed to Rutgers, who did not rescind their scholarship after he was injured. Matias visited many schools, but Rutgers had the home state advantage. The New Jersey institution also had Dominican people from Union City. The high schooler spoke with Pedro Sosa, who attended Rutgers from 2005 to 2007. His visit was also hosted by a current player at the time, Manny Abreu. Matias indicated that he felt comfortable at Rutgers.
Maybe comfort wasn’t what he wanted, or he wasn’t as comfortable as he thought, but Matias changed his tune about Rutgers. The young man spoke with his high school coach, nearly in tears, saying he felt pressured to commit to the university and regretted his oral agreement as soon as he gave it. All young men should have the courage to communicate like that. His head coach put him on the radar of Florida State, and it was a natural fit. Matias wanted to leave Jersey, and playing for the Seminoles was a dream. They were lucky too.
While at FSU, Matias got a degree in social sciences. Somewhere along the way he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He was a backup his first year and started every game from 2012 to 2014. He won the BCS National Championship in 2013 and was on the second-team all ACC.
Professional Football Journey
The NFL was in Matias’s grasp in one way or another. He was estimated to be drafted somewhere between the 4th and the 6th round, and a senior NFL draft analysis felt like he could be the 5th best guard in the draft. Post-college, Matias entered the IMG academy to prepare for the draft. He had 11.5-hour days, every day working out, meeting with people, and rehabilitating. The 6’6′ foot, 331-pound guard and tackle had a lot to offer. Sadly, the combine didn’t go well for Matias, but he was still to be assumed to be drafted somewhere between the third and fifth rounds of the draft.
Unfortunately, Matias’ NFL experience wasn’t great either. He signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. 2015 passed with Matias never leaving the practice squad. A torn patellar tendon in 2016, likely a re-injury from high school, had Matias placed on IR. He was ultimately waived in 2017. It goes without saying that being the first is not always easy, and in this case the journey to the NFL was as meaningful as being in the league.
In 2018, Matias played for the Ottawa Redbacks in the CFL. He started in October of 2018. In the Grey Cup, the Super Bowl equivalent of the CFL, he also started as a guard. Matias’ decided to end his career early, at just 26 in 2019. He was ready to start his next stage in life.
Where is Josue Matias Now?
According to his LinkedIn, he most recently was Assistant Director of Sports Performance at the University of Oklahoma. He left his position in March 2024 and apparently relocated to Florida. Prior to that, starting in 2019, he was a prep coach for the CFL and NFL and then a strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M. A fantastic, multi-dimensional football career, indeed.
Conclusion
Josue Matias definitely left Union City, New Jersey. He is still a city favorite, and his legacy lives on to inspire the next generation of football players. The former Tennessee Titan not only left New Jersey; he has now lived in different locations around the country and traveled internationally to Canada. After retiring, Matias began a respectable coaching career and has truly made a name for himself. Which Union City kid is next?
Make sure to catch the other Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 articles here!
