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By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Five years ago, a younger Cody Matthews
attended the National Football Foundation Middle Tennessee Chapter
Awards Banquet in Nashville to accept an honor for his success as a
high school football player who also excelled in the classroom.
He was the winner of the award for Gallatin High School in April
2010, and received the Charles W. Hawkins III High School
Scholar-Athlete recognition for the Green Wave.
Flash forward five years to Tuesday night. The tuxedo-clad
Matthews was back at the NFF Banquet at the Music City Sheraton
Hotel, this time to walk across the stage and accept another honor
as an outstanding student-athlete.
One of the most successful receivers in Tennessee Tech history,
Matthews closed his Golden Eagle career ranked among the Top 10 in
school history in both receptions and yards receiving. He also
accepted several academic accolades along the way.
Tuesday night, he was not only presented as Tennessee Tech’s
University Scholar-Athlete by the NFF, he was brought back to the
stage moments later as co-winner of the C.R. Bickerstaff / Coach
Bill Pace University Scholar-Athlete Award. He shared the honor
with Leighton Gasque of Middle Tennessee State.
The award was presented by Andy Bickerstaff and Tech assistant
coach Dewayne Alexander, members of the NFF Middle Tennessee
Chapter Board of Directors.
He is the first player from Tennessee Tech to receive the honor,
which goes annually to the top university scholar-athlete in the
middle Tennessee area. The award is based on scholarship,
sportsmanship, and value to his team. The award was established in
2005.
“This is my second time being honored by the National
Football Foundation, and it is a truly amazing honor,” said
Matthews. “I never thought I would be back here with all
these great people. It’s just crazy to be in the same room
with all of them. It means so much for me to have my past four
years accumulated and culminate with this experience.
“I have so many people to thank along the way, from my
parents to Coach Brown, both Stephen and Watson,” he said.
“And, all my teammates. They couldn’t be here with me
so I share this with all of them.”
A two-sport standout while at Gallatin High School, Matthews
lettered three years each on the football and basketball teams. He
was a three-year starter on the gridiron for coach Robert
Lassiter’s Green Wave, helping the team reach the
quarterfinals of the TSSAA playoffs in his senior season while
playing on both sides of scrimmage as a quarterback and free
safety.
He came to Tech as a walk-on, where he quickly proved himself
worthy of a scholarship. He spent his first season at Tech as a
redshirt, and saw his first action in the 2011 season, helping the
Golden Eagles capture a share of the Ohio Valley Conference
championship.
He moved up to a starting role midway in the 2012 season, and
remained a starter for the past three seasons. This past year, he
led the team and ranked among OVC leaders with 48 catches for 670
yards and six touchdowns. He finished with 110 catches for 1,647
yards and 16 touchdowns.
Following the 2014 campaign, he was voted to the Capital
One/CoSIDA Academic All-District team and also named to the
Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Director’s
Association Academic All-Star. Matthews won the OVC Medal of Honor
in 2013 for posting the highest GPA among all football players in
the league.
Matthews graduated with a 3.82 GPA and a degree in English with a
concentration in professional communications.
