Ep 332: Claude Mathis, A Texas high school Legend to Texas High School Football Coaching Glory

Today, we shine a spotlight on an extraordinary figure in Texas high school football, Claude Mathis. We chart his awe-inspiring journey, from being an all-American running back at Texas State to suiting up for the NFL, and eventually molding young athletes from the sidelines. We also delve into the personal bonds that fuel his drive, including his close friendship with Donald Hatcher and the source of his strength — his beloved family.

In the heart of Texas, family and football go together like Friday nights and stadium lights. We explore this delicate balance in the SOTO community, where Coach Mathis leads with grit, determination, and a whole lot of heart. Hear how winning a state championship with his children by his side was a defining moment in his life, and how his team's victory over Southlake in the semi-finals illustrated the power of unity and resilience. 

As the anticipation for the Texas High School Football Championship Week builds, we sit down with Coach Mathis to discuss the electrifying atmosphere of this annual event. He talks about his friendship with Coach Todd Dodge, his love for the Austin Anderson community, and his tribute to his late mentor, Coach Trent Grider. We wrap up the episode by wishing all teams competing in the championship, especially our very own Soto, luck in what promises to be the best state championship week in the nation. Tune in for an inspiring mix of football, family, and the relentless pursuit of success.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Change is inevitable. Our friends at Honest are going through a minor change, or most will call it rebranding. Honest remains the same, but this is the difference. They are now Honest Plumbing and Air, but they remain Honest in the same quality of service Honest Plumbing and Air where a handshake still means something. Wake yo ass up or take a damn nap and we're the free best friends that anybody could have. It's time I mean, sean, you were twerking. That's gonna happen.

Speaker 2: 0:46

Murph, don't be a dick all your life.

Speaker 1: 0:48

It's one of the more fun podcasts I've ever done.

Speaker 2: 0:51

Hey, I'll tell you what. If you not talking about sports in the man cave? You no, I bet that you not a big, that's it.

Speaker 1: 1:03

This is what we do, I love our culture.

Speaker 2: 1:05

This is what we do, we, the number one team that's taking four reasons. They understand me. We want all the smoke. We want all the smoke. You protect the members. You play for the members. I ain't rapping, don't keep me a humming.

Speaker 1: 1:21

Claude Mathis, there's not many people in the morning that I would put on a wrinkle. Well, it's supposed to be wrinkle free shirt, a button up. I do it for you in honor of what week it is and to celebrate you competing for another state championship. Man, welcome to stories inside the man cave.

Speaker 2: 1:40

Well, I appreciate it, man. I'm glad to be on board here this morning with you, especially you. It's just not to be on here.

Speaker 1: 1:47

I'll tell you what your story. I don't even know where to begin with it, but I do want to tell the viewers and listeners on the listening platform. Be sure to like, subscribe to our YouTube page and each of our social media platforms as we dive into this, because this is going to be real quick, because Claude Mathis has a really, really busy week ahead of him here as they prepare to play for another state championship game. You know what? I guess the way to describe your path to becoming a state champion head football coach. I got to pull up a collage that I made for you in honor of you, and I think it's here. It is right here, and just a few stops along the way, some people maybe need some to look at that.

Speaker 1: 2:36

Look at that, oh wow. Yeah that's when you look at that man. It's a question from right to left. Yeah, I mean that's a young Claude on the right.

Speaker 2: 2:54

Yeah, that's what we wanted back in high school. Man, jesus Christ, my, my, my time has changed. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Now I won't forget that picture right there, the second one in college that was against Troy, and I think there was written the three in the nation. That game, right there. We beat them. So I never forget that game. Then, of course, my boy hatched man, that's my dude. Right there. Man, that's that's family, that's straight family, right there and holding the trophy with him. Man, and I just wish I would have wanted with him. Man, he's a great guy and great dude man and he always be family. Man, that's my dude.

Speaker 1: 3:32

I think it's amazing how we're all tied, because I think the universal world brings people in their lives which we have ties to. I mean you, being from Bartlett, central Texas, and all American running back at Texas State. You're a Hall of Famer there, spent some time in the NFL, but Donald Hatcher, the head coach of Anderson, the same school in Austin in which you got your first start as a coach, before going to Somerville, then to who you are now, and then you coach in college. But when you look at how you have become your career and I know it's always these types of stories when state championship week, but the story of Claude Mathis is well known to a lot of circles but how do you summarize how you've reached to where you are, not only as a coach, but as a man, a father and a husband?

Speaker 2: 4:25

Well, you know what, man? It's one of those things where you continue to thrive, to be the best that you can be. It's one of those things where you cherish the people that are around you and understand that relationships means a lot, and with those guys like that it's unbelievable, and my family has been unbelievable with me throughout this whole process right now, and it's just one of those things where you try to cherish with them, as well as the players, because you don't know when this server happened again. So I'm very fortunate to be very blessed to be surrounding myself, around a bunch of great people in my life, as well as my family, and Donald Hatch is one of them. I'll always be one of those guys right there as well.

Speaker 1: 5:05

He's good people, he's soft on the earth. I think one thing that's unique and I don't know if everyone knows this, but the fact that you have family and you have deep roots now into SOTO. You've been the head of your second stint and a lot of people don't know this when you left the first time to experience life as a college coach SMU, but this is what I think was special Anytime you can involve family in any shape or form, and I'm not a father, but these are two of your sons and when you left, I think, your oldest one.

Speaker 1: 5:49

he won a state championship while you were at SMU, correct?

Speaker 2: 5:53

Correct, correct.

Speaker 1: 5:55

And this was last year after you won your first state championship.

Speaker 2: 5:59

Yeah, and that was that's that I really lost to that game. Right there, I broke down because they told me, they told me that there was gonna win one for me. They did, they really did. Those two right there told me there was gonna win one for me, and I think every dad, if they can cherish that moment right there, man, I would give them to him and let them experience it for myself, because it's an unbelievable feeling it's. You will never, ever, never forget it and I love my boys, man, and it was just a great feeling, man. We cherish that and we have that forever. So it's just one of those things where man it's I love them, I do, I love them.

Speaker 2: 6:36

I was able to share with all of them. My youngest one wanted to with me as well, and my oldest one was there as well, and my daughter was there and we all shared it together. And now my youngest one is still here and he's a junior and he's about to hopefully win another one right now. He's gonna be up on them right now. He's gonna be two rings hopefully up on them right now. But it's just one of those things where family means everything to me and my children means the world to me, and it was just an unbelievable feeling to share it with my twins and my youngest son, as well as my oldest and my daughter and my family.

Speaker 1: 7:10

You know what? I've gotta throw this out there. You have some unique names that I really love that unique, just, it's not like you named your son, stephen or Todd, or even Donald. These are some unique names would set themselves apart. Do you mind sharing the roots of their names?

Speaker 2: 7:31

Yeah, they're all C's and you know, try to keep that in the family. And you know, champ he was my first and I just thought that you know he was a champ. I really did believe that coming out and you know we thought that he was gonna be a great young man and got his heart to beat and works hard, so that's why I named him champ. I used to. It's pretty much his nickname is really champion, that's what I usually call him. But unbelievable and I'm Krim is from Crimson of the Alabama, you know, from Seathnight. Kamen was from a horse that I saw race. Love the horse with horse was a winner as well as as well as Kenden. Now, I didn't get the name Kamara. My daughter was named her mom but I named her middle name was Alexis. So I kept the C's and house with all my kids and love them very dearly and you know that's just a tradition that I hope they continue to keep going on as well.

Speaker 1: 8:30

And there's no doubt it will. And we got to give a lot of respect to your better half, the, the matriarch of the Mathis household. I mean she is a like all moms and women of a household may is for a successful coach that you always hear the great stories Of the wives too. I mean it's got to be the same for the Mathis household.

Speaker 2: 8:50

Dr Mathis does a great job. She really does. She does a great job with, with our boys. She's she's awesome and you know she's a. She's a principal at the school and everything. So she just does a fantastic job, an unbelievable job With our, with our boys. And I can't say enough about her at all and you know she's a. She's a cancer survivor as well and she's very tough. She's mentally tough and she knows how to fight. So Can't thank her enough for that. Where she's doing my voice.

Speaker 1: 9:21

You talk about that fight and I think when you have that in a household that that really sets a foundation for your children and in anyone's household. But at the same time that reflects in how you coach and I think that's semifinal win against Southlake Kerala talented team, riley Dodge, todd Dodgers, son um head coach, but man I, I saw only highlights. But to survive, that, I mean this is the time of survival. Yeah, it says a lot about your team to now reach the state championship game again. I mean, what did you learn anything from your team that you didn't know already From that Southlake win?

Speaker 2: 10:01

you know what I told our kids and I had my team meeting After practice yesterday and this is exactly what I told them, because I noticed it and I was looking at them throughout the game and God, they picked each other up. They never argued between not one time there was a turnover, not one time somebody messed up. The defense picked up the office, the office picked up the defense. They both picked up special teams, special teams picked them up.

Speaker 2: 10:28

But I don't think a lot of people noticed that there was no arguing amongst the players at all, because we were a family, when they knew deep inside we're gonna win, we just got to continue to quit making mistakes and getting our own selves. So we got you back and I don't think a lot of people noticed that. I noticed that and I told them that and you don't win games like that with, with arguing I promise you that right there, not, not, not at that caliber, especially when you turn the ball over four times. So I was very, very proud of those guys right there, things that we have talked about as a staff throughout the season to overcome adversity. They, they listen. You don't think they're listening sometimes if they actually listen to us and it really paid off, because if they wouldn't have, we wouldn't have won that game.

Speaker 1: 11:10

It was impressive. I mean it's very impressive because that was Fort Worth area in my opinion. I mean I know it's going to be a Dallas Fort Worth area versus Houston area state championship game for 6a division two, with umbil summer creek, but Southlake and the soto is right up there. I mean right up there with traditional powers and like Duncanville and of course now Southlake cliff, and that's what I want to talk about now as we end this, uh, this episode with you. And I thought I mean to anyone who follows Texas high school football what happened last year. It really tugged at me, along with anybody who follows Texas high school football. It proves and I know I'm going to go off on a tangent here, but what happened with southlake cliff last year proved that you can win in the inner city, you can Um, and then the, the, what they call, who they call the godfather coach samples Duncanville.

Speaker 1: 12:17

I. I saw a story last year with one of the Dallas TV stations and I've watched it like three times. They interview with all three, you two together, I mean you three, excuse me. It's happening again. You guys are all back in Cowboy Stadium this week competing for a state championship. These two men, how do you think you're going to be?

Speaker 2: 12:39

able to play as a football coach. Well, I think first of all I'm going to talk about coach samples because you know I was in college I want to say my first year in college and I was still a a football rat like I am right now. I love football, I just love it, and I used to go watch all kinds of high school games that are around and I went and watched him play when he was at Baylor, when he was at Lincoln, and I didn't know I was going to be a coach, coached against him. And one behold, the future brought me to Dallas at 2D Soto and boom, I started going against regional samples when he was at Skyline and I learned a lot. I really did. He took him to the Worcestershire the first time around and I learned from that right there. And but he's a he's a. He's a guy that you can learn a lot from. And then I did, I really did. He's a guy that I respect very dearly. He's a guy that I think that you know they call him a guy that he deserves everything he gets and I was so happy for him last year when he won his first title, because people can get that stigma off his back that he can't learn a big one, and he did. So I was very honored to to to say that I, I know him and I was so happy for him when he won one.

Speaker 2: 13:54

Me and Coach Todd you know me and Coach Todd we used to battle man. I mean we used to like each other a lot. We didn't because he was at soccer, I was here and it was amongst what people said. I mean, instead of me and him sitting and going over thing together, we were just, you know, letting other people be between us. And when this state run, this thing run, came about with us, we finally had a chance to talk and, man, we had some great conversations and now me and him are really good friends right now. I mean, I'm rooting for him and he's rooting for me and but what a guy that I do respect to be in the inner city. What he's doing a sock is Unbelievable, man. I mean going for three times in a row right now. That says a lot. But I have a lot of respect for both those guys right there. I'm very good friends with both of them and I'm cheering them on this weekend. Hopefully they can win another one.

Speaker 1: 14:38

And and I can promise you, if you're watching from another part of the state or maybe you're watching this another part of the country Texas High School football state championship week. It begins with the sixth man which is now Class A, all the way up to 6a, division 2 and Division 1. These three coaches are really the ratings for all these games had all most. These are always eyeballs plus some. These three men and their program, by the way, duncanville Coach samples program. You guys got them earlier this year but you won't be able to play them in the state championship. But what do you tell your? Put your team this week. I mean, I do you need to say anything because of the experience that you guys have had?

Speaker 2: 15:25

Well, you know there's there's Not much to say, but also there's a lot to say is because this is my final time at this group. When it comes to the singers, I mean this is it. And I think it hit me yesterday on the field. It really did. Because when you see a DJ Bailey out there throwing the ball and doesn't have his helmet on, I'm looking at why doesn't he have his helmet on? I remember back telling him we get to this week you have one day without your helmet on. You throw the ball around and practice. I don't allow that.

Speaker 2: 15:54

Yeah, it's sort of walking towards him yesterday and he looked at me start talking to the players decade. I see him coming right now about this hell that. I know he's coming back and I just hugged him. I just hugged him. I said I love you and thank you for what you've done for me, my coaches, this football team, and let's go finish it. So it really got teary-eyed yesterday with me out there because I just realized this is the last week. This is the last week with this, these seniors, the last week with the team period. They have the chance to go do something special is nobody's ever done here in the soda. So, yeah, there's a, there's a lot that's also say, but it's not locked, it's not to say because they know it's about business, they know they need to go do and we kicked the door down right now. So now we inside, like I'm asking to do so it's time to go to work.

Speaker 1: 16:39

Hey brother, we're gonna be watching for sure. Man follow followed the soda and I know there's not an Austin area team in the state championships this week. But you want a good program to follow and a good human being who's really good for Just the game itself. Right here, Claude Mathis.

Speaker 2: 16:58

Well, I can tell you right now You're great for what you do. You're great for that community of Austin and Austin Anderson. You know I love that dearly. It's gonna always be a place in my heart, always. If trend greater was still alive, I know that he would see the same thing. He's my biggest mentor that I've ever had and I love him. I miss him dearly. But you guys have a great one right now and Donald hatch at Austin Anderson high school and he's gonna do those guys just as he's gonna get into playoffs too. So thank you for all what you do, man. I really appreciate you. Thank you, thank you much.

Speaker 1: 17:27

Much love brother and coach Hatcher. I second that he who knows another inner city program that needs to come alive in Austin and I can see it happening. Brother, go win state and you guys enjoy, and I appreciate you jumping on.

Speaker 2: 17:43

No, thank you anytime and appreciate you, man, and have a great Christmas, man, and enjoy the holidays with your family.

Speaker 1: 17:48

Hey, happy holidays to your family, and we're gonna wrap up this episode on the other side of this and thank you, man, I'll be back today.

Speaker 1: 17:56

Thank you so much. If you follow stories inside the man cave podcast, or what? If you follow stories inside the man cave podcast or watch all of our episodes, you would know that our friends at Hargrove Roofing are proud supporters of stories inside the man cave. Well, they're also proud supporters of the University of Texas Longhorn Athletics, so much so that they are now NIL partners. Bert Auburn has a strong leg, he has a great head of hair and he will now partner with Coach at the Hargrove Roofing office off of Ashdale. You will soon hear Auburn say that famous slogan Hargrove Roofing. Know who's on your route and if you need an estimate, call 512-645-3202 or visit the website Hargrove Roofing dot com. What's up there, claude Mathis? Unbelievable interview, unbelievable coach and man. It's just amazing when, if you have never followed state championship week here in the great state of Texas, it is making a point. And this is what I tell everybody when, even if you're not a sports fan, you're like the Texas OU game. You need to experience it once because of how unique it is at the Cotton Bowl, because of everything that's going on there. You will not find that anywhere else.

Speaker 1: 19:50

And pretty much the same for the state championship week at Jerry World in Arlington, beginning with the six main games, which is now 1A, all the way to the two divisions of 2A, both divisions 3A, 4a, 5a and working your way up to 6A. All those games and I think it begins Tuesday or Wednesday is so much fun. I have not been for the entire week. I've been for Fridays and Saturdays games a couple of times. It's just fun and honestly, it's more bang for your buck. I know you're thinking Jerry World, really, yeah, you can. You pay more in parking, in my opinion, than you actually do for the price of admission. It's well worth it. It's a great day and take your kids and or your nieces, nephews, it's a family deal. Just your boys, go ahead up there.

Speaker 1: 20:54

And if you love football and the purest form of high school football, the best state championship week in the nation. So if you will, you can go visit our Twitter site. Even on Instagram Facebook page, you'll see a list of each of the state championship games that begin this week. For the state of Texas it's great. And of course, the Soto and Claude Mathis, the pride of Bartlett, texas baby. They are going for back-to-back state championships and so that's a great guy. We wish them well and we wish everybody there, just to experience that, all the best. And for the OG man cave boys that being hardball hards, big mic and the coach Moe, until the next episode we are out.