Physical Receiver Wraps Up Career

As one of the featured stars on the Buffalo Bulls' offense, Matt Knueven knows what it takes to be a leader on and off the field.

One of four children, Knueven said he developed a blue-collar ideology from his father, learning that respect is something to be earned.

"My father taught me at an early age to have a strong work ethic, to work your butt off for what you really want in life ... but more importantly, he taught me to be humble and to just be (myself)," said Knueven.

The number one receiving option for the Bulls' offense, Knueven has racked up a total of 1,436 yards over his three and a half years here - good for ninth on the all-time list at UB - and his 112 career receptions place him eighth all-time for UB.

A communications major from Cincinnati, Knueven was a three-sport star at LaSalle High School. He was also a star hurdler and basketball player. Knueven earned his stripes as a two-time All-Conference first-team selection for football in the highly prestigious Greater Catholic League.

Knueven became more serious about football under the tutelage of his high school coach, Jim McQuaide, during his junior year.

"He was definitely a leader of our team," said Coach McQuaide. "One thing he did was make tremendous catches in practice. We had to tell him not to go for balls - you didn't want to see him get hurt. He always puts out a phenomenal effort."

Knueven chose to run his go-routes and hook-routes for Buffalo over MAC rival Miami of Ohio and other schools closer to home because of the Bulls' coaching staff and because of the atmosphere created by the older players. Knueven was even convinced by McQuaide to skip his own senior dance to visit Buffalo to meet with Bulls' head coach Jim Hofher.

Once Knueven had UB in his sights, he never looked back.

"Playing for Buffalo is a very comforting, humbling experience. I knew I had potential when I started, after seeing what I've become over the last three years ... makes this whole thing pretty special," said Knueven.

Known for being a solid, physical receiver with excellent hands and good route-running skills, Knueven was actually known in high school for his speed, but had to step up his game in order to be successful at the NCAA Division I level.

"For one, I was considered a speedster coming out of high school ... but when you step on the field in college, the tempo of the game is a lot faster," said Knueven. "I had to learn on the go and would get knocked around a little, but that's all part of getting better. I would learn from my mistakes."

An aspiring small business owner, Knueven likes to keep tabs on his hometown sports teams the Reds and Bengals by watching the latest edition of "SportsCenter." The politically minded Knueven also enjoys watching the hard-hitting "O'Reilly Factor," as well as popping in a copy of his favorite movie, "The Bourne Supremacy."

Keeping it local, Knueven's favorite athletes are Bengals' wide receiver Chad Johnson and the Reds' center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., and if he could date any celebrity, Knueven said he would go out with Cincinnati native Carmen Electra.

One of Knueven's favorite pastimes is eating. However, he does not possess the Midas touch when it comes to cooking, and prefers when others cook for him. He likes his steaks medium-well and enjoys the pizza from Just Pizza.

The very superstitious wide-out has a rather normal pre-game ritual, with one minor twist:

"Before games, I have headphones on to listen to music ... but I just have to smell everything around me - the ball, my cleats, everything."

Knueven hopes to smell the sweet scent of victory this Saturday as the Bulls face off against the Marshall Thundering Herd on the road.

Four Random Questions:

1) Who's the creepiest-looking athlete in professional sports?

I can't really think of any creepy-looking athletes - but the scariest-looking athlete is [Ravens' LB] Ray Lewis ... I definitely wouldn't want to be hit by him.

2) If you weren't a wide receiver, what position would you want to play for the Bulls?

I would definitely want to be the quarterback - you have it all ... you're either the hero or the goat and you're involved on every play. You throw, you run; you're just the king of the field.

3) If you were in a position to help NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, how would you solve the lockout situation?

Tell the players that they're not worth as much money as they think they are ... I'd try to get them to reduce some of the salaries, but I also don't think that enough is being done to market the game for the fans. People have to want to go out to buy tickets and watch the game on television.

4) What was your favorite action-figure when you were a kid?

When I was younger, I always liked Batman. I definitely loved the Batmobile. It was pretty pimp.