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ATHENS, Ohio — If there's one thing graduate student defensive tackle Rodney Mathews loves, it's his team.
Mathews felt honored to have been nominated a team captain during Fall Camp. Mathews was one of five Bobcats who received the nod, and one of three first-time captains.
At the first captains' meeting, head coach Tim Albin told Mathews and the other captains to continue being themselves. They didn't need to change who they were because they now had a white or green "C" stitched onto their jerseys.
The Memphis, Tennessee, native has a special quality that helps him know when it's time for football and when it's time to take a step back. Not everything can be about football every hour of the day. When the Bobcats exit the locker room at the end of the day, they're no longer football players for the time being.
For Mathews, that means going home and taking care of his other team: his family.
"I come here, get the guys ready and work hard," Mathews said "Then I come home, I get to play with my son. You know, you can't bring football home."
Each day, Mathews leaves practice and comes home to his son, Rodney, and his girlfriend. It's one of his favorite parts of the day, and although he tends to leave football at the door, Mathews can't help but throw a football around with son.
Being a father has provided Mathews with a different outlook on life and football. He feels that it makes him a better teammate.
"I think it's helped me understand (my team) more," Mathews said. "It's more. It's never about me. It's bigger than me. So I'll try to relate it to my teammates."
Mathews considers himself to be an emotional leader. He's always on-board to hype up his teammates before practices and games. Mathews understands the investment he and his teammates have put into everything they do, and why it makes them a family.
The bond between the Bobcats is what drew him to the team in the first place. When deciding where to play after his time at Hutchinson Community College was up, Mathews chose Ohio because he felt a strong sense of family from the coaching staff and student-athletes alike.
Also, Mathews appreciates how attentive the coaching staff is to different aspects of the Bobcats lives.
"Coach Albin, he makes sure you're good on the field but also as a man," Mathews said.
On the field, Mathews has been a force for the Bobcats and is in the midst of a stellar season. His best moment so far, an interception off a deflection to seal the win against Iowa State.
Excitement rushed through Mathews' veins as his teammates ran up to him to celebrate. It was a moment he'll never forget because he was surrounded by the people that he cares for on the field and in the stands.
Mathews is a captain for two families, and that's what motivates him to be the best version of himself.
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