Central Michigan University Athletics
Boxing Matt Brayton
11/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2001
By Scott Pettett
Assistant Sports Information Director
It may be hard to picture a 6-7, 320-pound offensive lineman floating like a butterfly let alone stinging like a bee. However, Central Michigan offensive lineman Matt Brayton has been known to don the boxing gloves and step into the ring.
The Traverse City native boxed for an entire year and retired on top, going out undefeated at 1-0.
"I boxed for one year but I only fought once," Brayton said. "It was my junior year in high school but I gave it up because our basketball team was so good. We should have won states that year.
"I beat the Golden Gloves champion in my first fight. It was like his eighth fight. I never boxed after that."
While Brayton chose basketball over boxing, it's still an activity that he enjoyed doing and still dabbles in to this day.
"There's nothing like stepping into the ring," said the construction management major. "It's just you and your opponent. There's no other feeling like it. It's indescribable. It's you, your opponent and a lot of thoughts running through your head.
"I gave it up because I thought it was something I could pick up later in life. I still spar. I usually spar during the winter, especially when I go home for winter break."
Brayton's father and uncle were both boxers and got Matt interested in the sport. But, it wasn't the only sport that Matt's father got him interested in. Matt has been hunting and fishing for as long as he can remember. Football has taken a lot of time away from hunting but the interest hasn't waned in the years spanning Matt's football career.
"My father took me out on my first hunt when I was about 10-years old.," Brayton recollected. "I was hooked from the first time he took me out.
"I haven't hunted too much because the football and hunting seasons overlap. I get out about once a week. I look forward to doing a lot more hunting when I'm done playing football."
Brayton dabbles in both bow and rifle hunting but has found that bow is more to his liking.
"I do both bow and rifle hunting," Brayton commented. "I like bow better, though. It's tougher. You have to get within 25 yards of the deer in order to get the deer. It's more rewarding."
And rewarded Brayton has been. He has shot many deer but there are two he is most proud of.
"The biggest I shot was an eight-pointer," Brayton said. "I shot it my sophomore year. I have actually shot two. One of them is trophy sitting back at my house in Traverse City. I probably won't shoot another one that size again."
Brayton's outdoor exploits aren't limited to hunting. He also enjoy's sitting in a shanty, cutting a hole in the ice and doing some ice finishing.
"I haven't caught anything big," Brayton said. "I have caught some nice salmon but nothing monster. I like finishing for walleye. That's usually what I am looking for when I'm fishing."
While Brayton enjoys the cold-weather sports, there is one that has taken the lion's share of his time, football. He started on the gridiron when he was in fifth grade and he took the field as a fullback. As he grew, he fit the role of offensive lineman better.
He has excelled on the front line. He has been a four-year starter for the Chippewas since taking his spot on the line in his redshirt freshman year ... a rarity among offensive linemen.
Brayton has been an individual standout on the o-line but experienced some trials and tribulations last season. The running game averaged a measly 92.4 yards per game in 2000. But, the offensive line came together and saw that it was its turn to fight back. This season, the running game has more than doubled last season's output at 206.1 yards per game thanks, in part, to the front line.
"I think the biggest difference between this season and last season was the attitude," Brayton noted. "This season we knew we had no choice but to run the ball.
"It's a sense of accomplishment, knowing how much our running game has improved in just one season."
Brayton couldn't have done it alone. He had the company of his best friends, his linemates, and his family. A family that will grow after he graduates with degree in hand this May.
"I don't know what I'm going to do after graduation," Brayton said. "I'm going to get married to my fiancee, Barbi, in June.
"After that, I'll probably go back to Traverse City and work in excavation."
While football may be over and boxing likely will never start again, Brayton looks forward to the one sport that has been on the back burner for some time now, hunting.
