Joe Mathis played OLB at Washington from 2013-’16.
Posted 15.5 TFLs, nine sacks and two forced fumbles before suffering a year-ending toe ligament tear injury in 2016.
The toe injury was… unusual… requiring 9 screws be inserted into his foot to squeeze a bone back together.
Initial diagnoses were optimistic at 6 weeks, but it turned into a year long rehab instead where he had to learn how to walk, jog and run again.
Over his college career he appeared in 41 contests.
Graded out as a DE/EDGE, and although his athletic skill set intrigued scouts, Mathis went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft due in part to lingering concerns about his recovery from his injury.
Received an invitation to come to a mini-camp with the Houston Texas, but failed the physical exam because of his foot.
Ended up joining the CFL British Columbia Lions as an import player, but didn’t make the squad.
Spotted at the Huskies 2018 pro day after fully recovering from the toe injury and looked swole, but didn’t draw any attention.
Joe kept the dream alive and has played pro ball in the Xleague for the Fujitsu Frontiers located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
CARDS: UT Upper Deck 2011 HACK, UT 2026 ACQUIRED: IP, 2026
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Ramonce Taylor played RB at Texas from 2004 to 2005.
As a Freshman he ran for 284 yards on 28 carries scoring his first college TD against Oklahoma State, primarily backing up Cedric Benson.
He also completed a pass for 48 yards against Missouri.
During the Rose Bowl against Michigan on New Year’s Day, he returned 7 kicks for 201 yards, helping the Longhorns beat Michigan 38-37.
In 2005, Ramonce rushed for 513 yards on 76 carries, scoring 12 TDs.
Twice during the team’s national championship run, he ran for a career high 102 yards.
He also displayed a gift for receiving, catching 27 passes for 265 yards and 3 TDs.
In the National Championship game against USC, Ramonce Ran 4 times for 12 yards, but most importantly scored a TD in Texas’ 41-38 win.
Over his college career he rushed 104 times for 797 yards and 13 TDs, to go along with 30 receptions for 329 yards and 3 TDs.
He also had 26 kick returns for 701 yards.
In 2005, Ramonce made a series of bad decisions, which cascaded and culminated in him being dismissed from the football team.
Caught between a rock and a hard place he ended up declaring as a Junior, but after a bad combine, he slipped off NFL team’s draft boards.
Despite making some more questionable decisions, Ramonce kept in football shape.
In 2009 he got back on the football radar with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the AF2.
Very quickly he jumped to the CFL, and was with the Blue Bombers for the preseason, before returning back to the Dorados.
Spent 2009 with the Edmonton Eskimos but didn’t see any playing time.
2011 saw Ramonce return to the AF2, this time with the Rio Grande Valley Magic.
He’d then spend the remainder of his career in North Texas first with the Allen Wranglers in 2012 and then the Texas Revolution the following two years.
In 2017, Taylor played in the CIF for the Centex Calvary where he was a jack of all trades for the team playing QB, RB, KR, and on defense.
Since that time Taylor has gone into coaching.
NOTES:
Ramonce arrived to the event early, which was good for me. It was a drive from Austin to Temple, and it saved me a few hours. He really liked his card, even though the vendor had provided his own version from the UT set as well. I was impressed because Ramonce knew where the photo was from and correctly identified it as the game winning TD catch from the Red River rivalry.
Everything’s really changed. It almost all connects from Austin to Temple without a break. When I was a kid my parents would meet my grandparents halfway between Austin and Waco about once a month in Temple. We’d have lunch at this buffet there next to an inn called the ‘Smorgasbord’. It’s now called something like ‘The Cowboy Stop’ or something.
I’ve been digging through my mom’s room… organizing things- It’s a tough process to handle when a loved one has dementia. I found photos of those good times at The Smorgasbord, with me becoming super excited for gifts and presents from my grandparents in paper bags while wearing a Captain America tank top.
He’d run 43 times for 134 yards, and catch 15 passes for 101 yards that season before injury ended his season after 5 games.
Then he returned stateside for camp and practice squad action with the Colts in 2007, and the Panthers from 2007-’09.
He’d wrap up his playing career on the off-season roster of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 2010.
DeCori pursued a career in law enforcement and as of 2025 has become a decorated member of Texas DPS Enforcement.
NOTES:
DeCori is most famously known by Razorback faithful for catching the TD pass from Matt Jones with seconds to play, to upset the 18th ranked LSU Tigers in what is known as the Miracle on Markham.
Great card. Great autograph from DeCori. A fun, deep cut player.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
