Let’s get one thing clear, being a sports brat is a lifestyle. Most of us were born this way; born with a love for sport, but also love to add that extra umph, glam, and flair. In TSB’s new series, Brat Behavior, I am getting to know the Sports Brats that are all over the country. Hey, there are many of us out there! Please welcome Marilyn Matthews Worthen as the featured Brat of the month! I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Marilyn for a long time, and what makes Marilyn unique…well, I’ll just let you find that out below.

Marilyn and her mom, Carrie Matthews.

Hey Marilyn! Welcome to The Sports Brat, I’m so glad you’re here! Tell us about yourself! Well, I just got married in March and am now 6 months pregnant with my first child (a girl)! I’m from Sugar Land, TX and I’ve grown up around football. My dad is Bruce Matthews, he is an NFL Hall of Famer who played 19 years for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. My Papa played for the 49ers and my Uncle Clay played 19 years with the Browns and the Falcons. I also have several other family members who have played or currently play in the NFL. My older brother, Kevin played 5 years with the Titans and the Panthers, my younger brother, Jake, is the starting left tackle for the Falcons, my other younger brother, Mikey, was with the Steelers, and my youngest brother, Luke, is a redshirt freshman at Texas A&M. I also have a cousin, Clay, who plays for the Packers, another cousin, Casey, who played for the Eagles and one more cousin (this one on my mom’s side), Troy, who was with the Cardinals. So I guess you can say football runs in our family!

Little Marilyn and her dad, Hall of Famer, Bruce Matthews

Football is a huge part of your family’s life. Football season was a busy time in our family! When the Oilers were still in Houston we would go to all the home games and then we’d watch away games at home. When the team was moved to Tennessee my dad moved up by himself for the first season while us kids and my mom stayed back in Texas. We would fly up about every 3 weeks or so for a home game and then the next season we made the move to TN. My mom had started building our house in Sugar Land so the move to TN was not permanent. We would move up every summer for training camp and the football season and then we’d move home to Texas during Christmas break. We did that for about 5 years before my dad retired and we permanently moved home to Texas. As my brothers have gotten older football season has definitely gotten busier! There hasn’t been a Friday, Saturday or Sunday that I haven’t had a game to watch in quite a few years!

You literally grew up a Sports Brat, specifically when it comes to football. What is your best football memory? My best memories from growing up in the NFL have been watching the games with our life long family friends the Munchaks. My dad and Mike played together for several years and then when Mike retired he became my dad’s coach. His wife, Marci, and my mom are best friends and I’ve been great friends with their daughters, Alex and Julie, my whole life! I remember playing games, drawing and coloring, and bringing our good luck charms to games! When Mike became the head coach for the Titans he brought my dad on as the O-line coach and we picked right back up where we started. Although games as an adult are much more stressful so we found ourself doing yoga and coloring in coloring books in their box to calm ourselves down!

Matthews crew at the Super Bowl

We’re all about food at TSB, so what is your go-to game day snack? I’m all about the sweets! If the stadium has Dippin’ Dots then I’m gonna eat em! If not I’ll settle for some cotton candy.

Who is your favorite team? My favorite team is anyone I have a family member playing for! The Falcons are my favorite NFL team and Texas A&M is my favorite college team.

Marilyn with her husband Cameron at an Aggie game Fall 2018!

Fashion is very important at TSB. What do you usually wear to a game? I’m all about being comfortable. I usually wear jeans and tennis shoes with a team t-shirt or a jersey.

I’m so glad I got to introduce you all to Marilyn, she is one of several out there who grew up what I would like to call, a Super Brat.

You just never know who will be coming to join us here at Brat Behavior. Do you know someone who is a super brat? Let me know I just might feature them! But until next time!

Stay Bratty!

XOXO,

Dani