Former Patriots Super Bowl champion dies at 51

Former New England Patriots Super Bowl champion Matt Stevens has died at the age of 51, the team announced on Thursday.

Stevens was a third-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 1996 out of Appalachian State. He began his career with the Bills before moving to Philadelphia, Washington, New England and then Houston.

A defensive back, Stevens had 301 tackles, 13 interceptions and a sack during his NFL career. He played in 15 of 16 regular-season games for the Patriots in 2001, making four starts. That was the team that kicked off the Patriots’ dynasty, winning their first Super Bowl with a surprising 20-17 win over the Rams.

Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down after being involved in a motorcycle crash in 2007, though he later was able to regain movement using a ReWalk device.

Stevens was a two-time All-American in college and part of Appalachian State’s Hall of Fame.