Penn football's Matt Hamscher plays both sides of the ball

Matt Hamscher is Penn’s modern-day “60-minute man.”

The senior has done it all for the Quakers: offense, defense and special teams. Such versatility is rare in today’s game, but Hamscher has thrived in a role once played for Penn by the legendary Chuck Bednarik.

Though he was recruited as a running back, Hamscher’s sheer athleticism and competitive drive allowed him to make the switch to defense seamlessly.

He was moved to defensive back last season when the team needed some experience in the secondary.

“He’s a dynamic athlete first and foremost,” coach Al Bagnoli said. “You want to maximize the opportunities he has to get on the field. When we were very young in the secondary last year, we thought it would be in our best interest to move Matt to defense, trying to get a little bit more maturity there.”

At first, Hamscher was hesitant about the switch.

“I always wanted the ball,” he said. “Moving to defense was a big step for me because I wouldn’t see the ball as much.”

As “one of the best athletes on the team,” according to senior captain Erik Rask, Hamscher quickly excelled at his new position.

Not only did he improve Penn’s defense — he led the team in sacks — but he also racked up two Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week awards and was named to the All-Ivy second team as a defensive back.

Not bad for his first season on defense.

But Hamscher doesn’t just play every snap on defense or return kicks and punts. He also uses his running back roots as a weapon on offense.

Though he doesn’t get much practice time with the offense, Hamscher is used in special packages, posing a rushing and receiving threat, as well as acting as a decoy.

Bagnoli said that a player has to be highly motivated to play on both sides of the ball and must have tremendous physical and mental strength. According to Rask, Hamscher had all the right pieces to step up to the task.

“In the weight room, he’s always in there working as hard as he can and pushing other people,” he said. “It’s a pretty complicated defense, and he’s stepped in there without a problem and done a great job.”

Much of his success comes from the fact that football runs through his veins.

He played basketball and baseball and ran track in high school, but it was football that always brought the Hamscher family together.

“I’ve been playing football since I was four years old,” he said. “Everyone in my family revolved around football. My sisters cheered, my brother and I played, my dad coached. It was a big family thing.”

And now, after nearly 20 years of playing football, he can do it all.

Sitting on the bench against Fordham last weekend as a precaution due to a strained MCL was unusual territory. In most games, he hardly comes off the field, participating in 80 to 100 plays per game.

With just six games left in his Penn football career, Hamscher is ready to mix things up one more time.

“I tell the coaches to put me in at quarterback this year,” he joked. “They’re just not listening.”

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