Matt Cassel is a winner.  He holds one of the most impressive winning resumes in sports history.  When he was just twelve years old his Northridge Little League All-Star team was the United States Champion in the Little League World Series.  When he was at Chatsworth High School, he led both the football and baseball team to a city championship.  While at USC, he was a member of two Division I National Championship Football teams.  In 2005, Cassel was the backup quarterback for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.  Finally, this past season Cassel became one of the league’s most premier quarterbacks after an injury to Tom Brady gave him a starting position. 

 Matt Cassel was born and raised in Northridge along with his three siblings.  Cassel’s family has always been baseball oriented.  His older brother Jack pitched for the Houston Astros in 2008 and is currently a member of the Cleveland Indians organization.  His younger brother Justin is a pitcher for the Birmingham Barons, a AA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.  He also has a younger sister named Amanda.  

 Matt’s first big moment in the sports world came in 1994, while a member of the Northridge Little League All-Star team.  Cassel was the first baseman for the team later labeled “The Earthquake Kids.”  The All-Star team advanced to the most coveted tournament in all of Little League: The Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.  With globally televised games, Cassel made a name for himself by batting .429 as his team went on to win the United States Championship.  Despite losing in the International final, the team made the entire town of Northridge very proud. 

 Cassel attended Chatsworth High School were he was a standout in both baseball and football.  As a senior he was ranked as the 53rd best quarterback in the country according to ESPN’s Tom Lemming.  Matt led his football team to the city divisional championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1998.  Later that year in baseball, he helped lead the Chatsworth Chancellors to a L.A city title.  His accomplishments made him one of the area’s most recruited players for both sports. 

 Matt decided to attend and play football for USC.  There he was a backup quarterback to two Heisman trophy winners in Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.  He also played a little Tight End throughout his four years in college.  Matt was fortunate enough to be a part of two National Championship teams at USC; however the winning did not stop there.

 In 2005, Cassel was drafted into the NFL in the seventh round by the New England Patriots.  He was a backup quarterback behind one of the leagues best in Tom Brady.  The same year his team went on to win the Super Bowl adding yet another championship trophy to his already impressive collection.  Despite being a backup quarterback for years, Cassel proved his determination and work ethic by continually being wanted by top teams.  His hard work paid off in 2008 when he got his first chance to become a permanent starting quarterback in the NFL.  After a severe injury to Tom Brady’s knee in the first game, Cassel got his chance and would not let this opportunity slip away.   

 According to the official NFL website, Cassel threw for over 3,600 yards and 21 Touchdowns in 2008.  He was among the top ten quarterbacks in the league in nearly every statistical category.  During the offseason, Cassel was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to be their primary quarterback for the 2009 season.

 Cassel has continued to work hard to put himself on winning teams and has made the community of Chatsworth as well as the entire San Fernando Valley extremely proud.