- For other characters with the name "Matt" see Matt.
Matt Gibson is a student at Polk High School who plays for the school's football team the Polk High Panthers. He appeared in the Season 3 episode, "Poke High".
He is played by actor Beau Dremann.
Description[]
Matt is a young athlete likely between 15-17 years old, playing fullback and wearing #14. He is considered somewhat dumb, as Bud is forced to help him with his homework for English class. He is also focused primarily on football, as Kelly's attempt to flirt with him go nowhere.
Background[]
He is mentioned by Kelly Bundy as she tells her mother Peggy Bundy, about how her attempt to flirt with him was ignored, causing Peg to give her a hug. Bud Bundy then reveals that Kelly's attempt to flirt with Matt happened by standing in the boys' shower room with a sign that read "SOAP". After Peggy suggest that Kelly tries to hone in and find what Matt really likes, she then turns to her brother and asks him to help her get with Matt by tutoring him for his English class.
Sometime later, Bud tries to help Matt understand the characters from the story, Of Mice and Men, though he mixes up George with Squiggy from the sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Kelly then comes downstairs and signals to Bud to let her have some alone time with Matt. After telling Matt that they will take a break and suggests that he runs through the alphabet letters that he just learned, Bud leaves the room. Kelly tries to get him to remember her from the other day, when she was in the shower room. He eventually remembers her, calling the "Soup Girl", though she tries to tell him that she was the "Soap Girl" (revealing that she spelled it "SOPE")
She then tries to get Matt to massage her leg, claiming to have a muscle crap, only for her father, Al Bundy to walk in on them. After noticing Matt, he sits down and talks football with him, revealing that he was the fullback on the 1966 Polk High Panthers team that was the last championship team. He then tries to get Matt to guess who he is, but mistakes him for Red Grange. Matt then tells Al that he also plays fullback, as Al tell him that back his day, fullbacks played both ways (referring to their abilities to be block as well as run with the ball). Matt mistakenly believes that Al is talking about going both ways with men and women (i.e. being bisexual), and tells him that there are some guys on the team who go both ways, before assuring Al that he likes only girls.
Kelly desperately tries to convince Al to leave her and Matt alone, but he ignores her and tells Matt that his 1966 team was the school's last undefeated team. Matt chimes in that his team is also undefeated and that their last game is that coming Saturday. He then suggests that Al should come by and watch his record get crushed, promising to get him good seats. Al tries to save face by bragging that he personally holds the record for most touchdowns in a season, only for Matt to reveal that he's only one touchdown away from breaking Al's record. Feeling a bit upset, he asks Matt to a friendly game in the backyard, so he can see what the young athlete can do. Kelly tries to get his attention and focus on massaging her leg, but he calls her "Kathy" and tells her that he can look at it later. Al and Matt play for a bit, where the younger athlete showboats and demonstrates his prowess, but the upset Al eventually gets the upper hand by using his favorite technique, "An open hand chop to the Adam's apple"
Desperate for Matt's attention, Kelly decides to join the school's cheerleading team, the Polk High Dots. Despite lacking the proper athletic skill and coordination, she garners the attention of the coach, Ms. Mount, and is allowed to join the team in time for the final game.
During the game, as Al laments that his record will soon be destroyed, Kelly tries to get Matt's attention by kicking really high while calling out to him or flashing a sign with her name and phone number on it. Though each attempt ends in failure, with Matt too busy focusing on the game and Ms. Mount pulling Kelly off to the side by her ear. As the game reaches its final seconds and seeing no other way around it, Kelly decides to dive in front of Matt as he approaches the goal line causing him to tumble over a few feet from the endzone and cost Polk High the championship. Kelly then crawls up to Matt, who is laying on the floor and shoves a piece of paper with her name and phone number into his helmet. Kelly is then booed as the opposing team carries her on their shoulders.
As a result of Kelly's action, besides ruining Matt's chance at breaking a record and costing the school their championship, the Bundys were eventually banned from their local church and even the freeway. Despite this, Al later shows his appreciation to her and calls her a good girl.