Bruce Matthews

Birth Name: Bruce Rankin Matthews

Place of Birth: Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 8, 1961

Ethnicity: English, German

Bruce Matthews is an American professional football player. A center, he spent his entire professional career with the Houston/Tennessee/Oilers/Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted in the Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Bruce is the son of Daisy Ezelle and William Clay Matthews, a professional football player.

Bruce’s paternal grandfather was Howard Lynn Matthews (the son of George Washington Matthews and Maxie Jean Rankin). George was born in Ohio, the son of James Milton Matthews and Sarah Jane Bentley. Maxie was born in Ohio, the daughter of Lyman Rankin and Margaret A. Smith.

Bruce’s paternal grandmother was Elsa Wilhelmina Bargmann (the daughter of William John Bargmann and Catherine Elsa Tiedemann). Elsa’s parents were German.

Bruce’s maternal grandfather was Thomas Walter Crowson (the son of Thomas Siegic Crowson, Jr. and Nannie Rebecca Gulledge). Bruce’s great-grandfather Thomas was born in North Carolina, the son of Thomas Seigic Crowson and Eliza Jane Covington. Nannie was born in North Carolina, the daughter of Thomas Huntley Gulledge and Rachel Ratliff.

Bruce’s maternal grandmother was Daisy Ezelle Lilly (the daughter of Frederick Lilly and Roxanna Goodwin). Frederick was born in North Carolina, the son of Thomas J. Lilly and Mary Ann Hatch. Roxanna was born in North Carolina, the daughter of Wesley Green Goodwin and Mary V. Hunter.

Sources: Obituaries of Bruce’s parents – https://www.findagrave.com