Athletics

In memoriam: Matt Gee, 49, former USC linebacker and tackle leader

The Trojans’ 1991 captain was a member of USC’s 1989 and 1990 Rose Bowl squads, and was also a javelin thrower on the university track and field team

January 04, 2019 USC Athletics staff

Matt Gee obituary
Matt Gee was the Trojans’ captain in 1991, when he led the team in tackles. (Photo/Courtesy of USC Athletics)

Former USC inside linebacker Matt Gee, the Trojans’ 1991 captain when he led the football team in tackles, died in his sleep Monday in Simi Valley. He was 49.

Gee had 210 career tackles at USC, including 97 as a senior in 1991, and was a member of USC’s 1989 and 1990 Rose Bowl squads. He also was a javelin thrower on the Trojan track and field team.

He came to USC from Arkansas City High School in Arkansas City, Kansas, where he was an All-American linebacker and fullback.  He also won the state’s javelin and shot put titles as a junior in 1987, when he had the nation’s best high school mark in the javelin.

After USC, he started his own insurance agency in Simi Valley.

He is survived by his wife, Alana, and his children, Tucker, Tanner and Malia.

A service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 10 at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, followed by a reception at North Ranch Center, 1400 N. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village.