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By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

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.