Texas football superfan Matthew McConaughey celebrated two Longhorns players going to the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the award-winning actor actually has a deeper connection to the team that you probably don’t know about.
McConaughey’s father, James “Jim” McConaughey, was drafted by the Packers in 1953, according to a 2003 Q&A from the team’s website. Though, whether or not James saw any action on the field remains somewhat of a mystery.
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The Packers drafted James from the University of Houston with the 319th pick in the 27th round of the 1953 NFL Draft, the website said. But, he didn’t end up playing in a regular season or playoff game for the Packers — so he isn’t on the team’s all-time roster.
The website notes that preseason records are “thin” for that timeframe, meaning James could have potentially took to the field during a pre-season game and was cut prior to the start of the regular season.
“In short, to say whether James (Jim) McConaughey played for the Packers depends on your definition of ‘played for,'” the website said.
Despite the familial and now Longhorns’ connections, will Matthew make an appearance at Lambeau this season? That remains to be seen, but he was excited about two of the newest Packers.
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McConaughey, a University of Texas at Austin alum, praised the Packers first-round draft pick Matthew Golden on X on April 24, leading the Packers to respond with: “DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!” McConaughey also took to X to support Barryn Sorrell whom the Packers drafted on April 26.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did Matthew McConaughey’s father play for the Green Bay Packers?