Former Alabama A&M standout Robert Mathis is the NFL record-holder for career forced fumbles, although his mark won’t be found in the NFL’s annual “Record and Fact Book.”

In the family of NFL statistics, the forced fumble is sort of the little brother to the sack and grew up in its footsteps. But unlike the sack, which became an official stat in 1982, the forced fumble is still sitting at the NFL kids’ table with tackles in that forced fumbles aren’t listed in the league’s record book, even though they’ve been recorded steadily for four decades.

The forced fumble first appeared as a notation at the bottom of the defensive page in NFL gamebooks in 1976. In 1989, it graduated to having its own column along with sacks, tackles, interceptions and the other defensive statistics on the page.

During his 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Mathis caused 54 fumbles, mainly on strip sacks, as he also had 123 sacks in his career.

Mathis led the NFL in forced fumbles in 2004, 2005 and 2013.

In 2013, Mathis registered 10 forced fumbles to tie the NFL single-season record. The player who set that mark in 2010 had been New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, a former Auburn High School and Troy star.

Since 1990, a player from an Alabama high school or college has been the NFL leader in forced fumbles in nine seasons.

In addition to Mathis and Umenyiora, the forced-fumble leaders with Alabama football roots have been Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Derrick Thomas (Alabama) in 1990 and 1992, Miami Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong (John Carroll Catholic) in 2000, Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Dee Ford (Auburn) in 2018 and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (Hoover, Alabama) in 2020.

The active leader for forced fumbles among the NFL players with Alabama football roots is defensive end Mario Addison (Tarrant, Troy), who had 14 when he finished the 2022 season with the Houston Texans.

The players with Alabama football roots who had the most forced fumbles in the 2022 season were New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (Auburn) and Texans cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) with three apiece.

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The 10 players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have recorded the most forced fumbles in the NFL:

1. Robert Mathis, Alabama A&M: 54 forced fumbles

Indianapolis Colts 2003-2016: The defensive end/outside linebacker led the NFL in forced fumbles with eight in 2005 and 10 in 2013 and tied for the league lead with six in 2004. Mathis was a first-team All-Pro once – in the season when he had 10 forced fumbles — and a Pro Bowler five times.

2. Derrick Thomas, Alabama: 41 forced fumbles

Kansas City Chiefs 1989-1999: The outside linebacker ranks ninth on the NFL’s career forced-fumbles list. He led the NFL in forced fumbles with six in 1990 and eight in 1992. Thomas was a two-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. Osi Umenyiora, Auburn High School, Troy: 35 forced fumbles

New York Giants 2003-2012, Atlanta Falcons 2013-2014: Umenyiora was a first-team All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler twice, although he didn’t receive either of those accolades in 2010, when he reached a league-leading 10 forced fumbles.

3. DeMarcus Ware, Auburn High School, Troy: 35 forced fumbles

Dallas Cowboys 2005-2013, Denver Broncos 2014-2016: The outside linebacker reached his career high for forced fumbles with six in 2008, when he also recorded 20 sacks. Ware was a four-time first-team All-Pro, a nine-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

5. Cornelius Bennett, Ensley High School in Birmingham, Alabama: 31 forced fumbles

Buffalo Bills 1987-1995, Atlanta Falcons 1996-1998, Indianapolis Colts 1999-2000: The outside linebacker’s single-season high for forced fumbles was five, achieved as a rookie in 1987 and matched in his next-to-last season 12 years later. In addition to forcing fumbles, Bennett was one of the NFL’s best at recovering them. His 27 fumble recoveries are tied with Hall of Famer Dick Butkus for sixth on the league’s career list for defensive players. Bennett was a first-team All-Pro once and Pro Bowler five times.

6. Trace Armstrong, John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham: 23 forced fumbles

Chicago Bears 1989-1994, Miami Dolphins 1995-2000, Oakland Raiders 2001-2003: A defensive end, Armstrong led the NFL in forced fumbles with seven in 2000, which was his 12th NFL season and his only Pro Bowl campaign.

6. Kevin Greene, Auburn: 23 forced fumbles

Los Angeles Rams 1985-1992, Pittsburgh Steelers 1993-1995, San Francisco 49ers 1997, Carolina Panthers 1996, 1997-1998: The outside linebacker’s forced-fumble total is probably incomplete because of unrecorded data in the first three seasons of his career. His known single-season high in the stat is four in 1990. In addition to forcing fumbles, Greene was one of the NFL’s best at recovering them. His 26 fumble recoveries are eighth on the league’s career list for defensive players. Greene was two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

8. Karlos Dansby, Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Auburn: 20 forced fumbles

Arizona Cardinals 2004-2009, 2013, 2017, Miami Dolphins 2010-2012, Cleveland Browns 2014-2015, Cincinnati Bengals 2016: Most of the other players in the Alabama roots top 10 for forced fumbles were primarily pass-rushers. While Dansby recorded 43 sacks during his NFL career, he also intercepted 20 passes. The other nine players in the state’s top 10 combined for 25 career interceptions. Dansby is one of 11 NFL players who have 20 interceptions and 20 forced fumbles. His single-season high in forced fumbles came in 2007 with four.

8. Justin Tuck, Central High School in Rockford: 20 forced fumbles

New York Giants 2005-2013, Oakland Raiders 2014-2015: The defensive end reached a career high with five forced fumbles in 2009 and matched that in 2010. Tuck’s total doesn’t include a fumble he forced in the Giants’ 17-14 upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Tuck was a first-team All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler twice.

10. Marcus Washington, Auburn High School, Auburn: 17 forced fumbles

Indianapolis Colts 2000-2003, Washington Redskins 2004-2008: The outside linebacker is the third Auburn High School alumnus in the state’s top 10 for NFL forced fumbles. Washington reached a career high with three in 2003, 2005 and 2008. Washington earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 2004.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.