Matt_Hasselbeck

Matt Hasselbeck

Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975, in Boulder, Colorado) is a professional football player, the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.

Early life and college career

Matt was born to Millie Reilly and Don Hasselbeck, a former NFL tight end who played for the New England Patriots after being drafted out of Colorado. Matt and younger brother Tim grew up in Norwood, Massachusetts and attended Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood. He was selected as an honorable mention All-American, by USA Today as a senior, and played college football at nearby Boston College. Hasselbeck was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Professional career

He began his professional career with the Green Bay Packers, where he joined the practice squad in 1998 and then backed-up starter Brett Favre for two seasons, beginning in 1999. He joined former head coach Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks on March 2, 2001. The Packers traded him, along with their first (17th overall) and seventh-round draft picks, to the Seahawks for their first (10th overall) and third-round draft picks.

In 2004, Hasselbeck won the 2004 NFL Quarterback Challenge.

In 2005, Hasselbeck had one of his most productive career performances, earning the highest passer rating in the NFC, and leading the Seahawks to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. He led his team to Super Bowl XL in which he lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was the starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2006 Pro Bowl.

Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to a 4-1 record to start the 2006 season before being seriously injured on Week 7. Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson rolled into Hasselbeck's right leg. The result was a second degree MCL sprain, causing Hasselbeck to miss four games. Hasselbeck contended that Henderson could have avoided injuring him. Upon returning he subsequently broke fingers on his non-throwing hand, but continued to lead his team to a 9-7 record and to the divisional round of the postseason. The fourth-seeded Seahawks defeated the Dallas Cowboys by a point in the wild card round in Seattle, then lost at top-seeded Chicago in overtime, 27-24.

In 2007, Hasselbeck led his team to its fourth consecutive division title and fifth consecutive playoff appearance with 3,966 passing yards, 28 touchdowns (both career highs), 62.6% completion percentage, and a 91.4 quarterback rating. He threw for 229 yards in a 35-14 NFC Wild Card victory over the Washington Redskins. The third-seeded Seahawks would fall in the divisional round to the NFC's #2 seed Green Bay, losing 42-20 in the snow at Lambeau Field despite an early 14-0 lead.

Hasselbeck set career highs in yards, attempts, and touchdown passes in the 2007 season, and was elected to his third Pro Bowl.

Seattle Seahawk Franchise Records

Hasselbeck owns several of the Seahawks' franchise records

Regular Season Records

Highest Passer Rating, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 86.3
Highest Passer Rating, Season (Min. 200 attempts) - 98.2 (2005)
Most Pass Attempts, Season - 562 (2007)
Most Pass Attempts, Game - 55 (at San Francisco, 12/1/02)
Most Pass Completions, Season - 352 (2007)
Most Pass Completions, Game - 36 (at San Diego, 12/29/02)
Most Passing Yards, Season - 3966 (2007)
Most Passing Yards, Game - 449 (at San Diego, 12/29/02)
Most 300+ Yard Passing Games, Career - 15
Most 300+ Yard Passing Games, Season - 4 (2002 and 2003)
Most 3000 Passing Yard Seasons, Career - 5
Most Consecutive Seasons, 3000 Yards Passing - 4 (2002-05)
Highest Completion %, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 60.8%
Most Touchdown Passes, Game - 5 (tie w/5 other players)
Most Consecutive Attempts Without an Interception - 159 (2005)
Lowest Interception %, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 2.7%
Only Seahawks QB with 13 wins in a season (13-3 in 2005)

Franchise Playoff Records

Most Pass Attempts - 325
Most Pass Completions - 189
Most Pass Completions, Game - 27 (1/8/05 vs. Rams)
Most Passing Yards - 2211
Most Passing Yards, Game - 341 (1/8/05 vs. Rams)
Most 300+ Yard Passing Games - 2
Most Touchdown Passes - 11
Highest Passer Rating - 79.9
Highest Completion % - 58.2%
Highest YPA - 6.80
Most Consecutive Games w/TD Pass - 8 (current)
Most Passes Intercepted - 8
Most Consecutive Passes Without Interception - 109 (2004-05)

Passing stats

Year	Team	G	Att	Com	Pct	Yards	TD	Int	Rate
1998 PS	Green Bay Packers	PS	0	0	0	0	0	0
1999	Green Bay Packers	16	10	3	30.0	41	1	0	77.5
2000	Green Bay Packers	16	19	10	52.6	104	1	0	86.3
2001	Seattle Seahawks	13	321	176	54.8	2023	7	8	70.9
2002	Seattle Seahawks	16	419	267	63.7	3075	15	10	87.8
2003	Seattle Seahawks	16	513	313	61.0	3841	26	15	88.8
2004	Seattle Seahawks	15	474	279	58.9	3382	22	15	83.1
2005	Seattle Seahawks	16	449	294	65.5	3459	24	9	98.2
2006	Seattle Seahawks	12	371	210	56.6	2447	18	15	76.0
2007	Seattle Seahawks	16	562	352	62.6	3966	28	12	91.4
Career Totals	135	3138	1904	60.7	22333	142	84	86.2

Personal life

On June 17, 2000, Hasselbeck married Sarah Hasselbeck. They have two daughters, Annabelle and Mallory, and a son, Henry.

His younger brother, Tim, is a former backup quarterback in the NFL. He is a sports analyst for the SportsNet New York network and radio personality on the Sirius Radio network. Tim is married to The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.