H. L. Matthews

H. L. "Matty" Matthews
Biographical details
Born(1889-02-14)February 14, 1889
Jeffersonville, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 27, 1975(1975-02-27) (aged 86)
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1926–1953The Citadel (boxing)
1926–1930; 1937–1938The Citadel (baseball)
1926–1930; 1941The Citadel (track and field)

Howard Lynn Matthews (February 14, 1889 – February 27, 1975), usually known as Matty Matthews or H. L. Matthews, was a minor league baseball player and coach of several sports at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. His son Clay became head of a long family line of standout National Football League (NFL) players.[1]

Early life

Matthews was born in Jeffersonville, Ohio on February 14, 1889. He played baseball for several minor league teams from 1912 through 1915, primarily in the South Atlantic League. With the onset of World War I, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he began boxing. After the war, he returned to baseball for the 1922 season and briefly pursued a career as a stock market telegrapher. In 1925, Matthews began coaching athletics at The Citadel.[2]

Coaching career

Matthews rotated as coach of baseball, track and field, and boxing at The Citadel from 1926-1941.[2][3] Matthews was part of the inaugural class of inductees into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.[4][5] He was also inducted in the Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.[2][5]

Head coaching record

Baseball

Matthews's record as head coach of The Citadel baseball team is incomplete. Only two seasons have complete records, one each during his two stints as coach of the baseball team.[6]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Postseason
The Citadel (1926–1930)
1928 The Citadel 1–12
The Citadel: 1–12
The Citadel (1937–1938)
1938 The Citadel 6–6
The Citadel: 6–6
Total:

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Boxing

Track and field

No records are available for Matthews' tenure as track and field coach at The Citadel.[3]

References

  1. ^ Gene Sapakoff (February 21, 2011). "Charleston's first family of football". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "H.L. "Matty" Matthews". Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 22, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  3. ^ a b 2012 Track and Field Media Guide. The Citadel. p. 65. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  4. ^ "Hall of Fame". The Citadel Foundation. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Matthews to be inducted into Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. January 2, 2005. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  6. ^ The Citadel 2011 Baseball Media Guide. The Citadel. p. 105. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2013.