Lisa Matthews

“I used to be a tomboy,” says Lisa Matthews. “My dad wanted a son, and since I was the oldest, I was the boy of the family before my brother was born.” All natural, with blonde hair, brown eyes and a wide, inviting smile, Lisa was raised a bit of a nomad. Having lived in Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Florida and California by the time she was a senior in high school, Lisa turned to sports for a sense of belonging. “Other girls wanted to be mothers when they grew up. Me, I wanted to be a jockey,” says Lisa. “I like sports a lot and I’m glad that my dad made me play them.” To call Matthews a tomboy is rather an understatement—she skis, plays baseball and football, and rides horses to wind down. Though she prefers her lifestyle to the girly alternative, she admits that being a tomboy has its downsides. “I don’t know why but no one asks me out on dates,” Lisa sadly says. “It’s really weird. I have a lot of guys who are my friends, and we go to lunch or we’ll see a movie together, but it’s not actually a date because they haven’t asked me out and I pay my own way.” Rather than get mad, Lisa decided to get even. She channeled all her energies into one goal—becoming a Playboy Playmate. An all-American woman, Lisa was a natural choice for us, and she won so many fans as Miss April 1990 that she stole the show as Playmate of the Year 1991. Not bad for a self-described tomboy. As PMOY, Lisa was as much of a nomad as ever—when asked about her travels, she told us she’d recently been to New Jersey, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Italy, and showed no signs of slowing down. After an appearance in Bruce Willis’s Hudson Hawk and a round on Family Feud, Lisa went on to found Operation Playmate with Hef’s then-wife, Kimberly Conrad, writing letters to soldiers stationed overseas. “I don’t see anything special about the way I look,” says Lisa modestly. “I’m just the girl next door, Miss Natural.” Despite her reservations about dating, this everywoman is every man’s dream girl—beautiful, natural, and most importantly, kind. “I don’t really care what men look like,” says Lisa. “I just want to date someone who’s fun. And I could only love an animal lover!” To win this PMOY’s heart, treat her to a dozen roses—her favorite are salmon-colored, meant to evoke desire—and whisk her away to a ranch, where she can ride horses to her heart’s content. “I really want a cow named Hank,” says Lisa frankly. “Cows are my favorite animals, and I think Hank is a good name for a cow, even if it is a girl.” Hank would be one lucky cow, but it’d be fitting for our happy-go-lucky Playmate of the Year 1991.