Matthew Capone

Matthew Capone

Class of 2003
Inducted in 2016

Matthew Capone ’03 won 2 All-America citations as a running back in football, and finished his career as Ohio Wesleyan’s all-time leading rusher.  He ranked second on the team in rushing with 543 yards as a freshman, scoring 4 touchdowns in a game against Oberlin, and was an honorable mention All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection.  As a sophomore, he ran for 1133 yards (then the second-highest single-season total in OWU history), including a 201-yard effort against Kenyon (then the sixth-highest single-game figure at OWU) and a 4-touchdown game against Oberlin.  He ranked second in the NCAC in rushing and all-purpose yards, third in scoring, and fourth in kick returns.  His junior year, he ran for 614 yards to rank sixth in the league in rushing, was sixth in the league in all-purpose yards, and was an honorable mention all-conference choice.  As a senior, he set a school record with 1368 rushing yards and tied a school record with 15 touchdowns.  He led the NCAC in rushing, kick returns, and all-purpose yards and ranked ninth in total offense.  He was a first-team All-NCAC pick at running back and second-team as a return specialist, was a second-team All-America selection by the Football Gazette, and a third-team All-America pick on the Hewlett-Packard team.  Ohio Wesleyan went 9-1, scoring a school-record 418 points, and ranked second in the nation in rushing and fourth in total offense.  He set Ohio Wesleyan career records with 3658 yards rushing, 666 carries (a 5.5 average), 41 touchdowns, and 248 points, and his totals of 43 kick returns and 972 kick return yards both ranked third.  His career total of 5483 all-purpose yards set an NCAC record.  During his 4 seasons, Ohio Wesleyan improved in each season and was 27-13 (.675) overall.