The Men’s Coaching Academy is an NCAA program that addresses the critical shortage of ethnic minorities in head coaching positions in college football, primarily at the Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) level. The NCAA Football Coaching Academy workshop will focus on communication skills (interviewing and public speaking), fiscal responsibilities (maintaining and managing a budget), building a successful program (managing staff, game strategy, maintaining relationships with senior officials at the university — athletics administrators/alumni/student-athletes/faculty/community), compliance considerations (NCAA rules and regulations/infractions) and academic issues (fraud, support, retention, success).
NCAA staff and administrators in their respective fields of expertise lead all Academy sessions. Speakers will include: Myles Brand, NCAA president; Anton Goff, University of Maryland associate athletics director for academic support and career development; Dr. Fitz Hill, Arkansas Baptist University president; Dr. Janice Hilliard, NBA senior player development officer; Garrick McGee, Northwestern University football offensive coordinator; Dr. Merritt J. Norvell, Jr., TNG & Associates president; Joe Oliver, University of Virginia senior associate athletics director; Wally Renfro, senior advisor to the NCAA president; Edward Stewart, Big 12 Conference associate commissioner for football and student services; Joe Taylor, Hampton University head football coach and athletics director; Tom Thomas, president/CEO for Cardinal Advisors; and Charlotte Westerhaus, NCAA vice-president for diversity and inclusion.
“I was excited, understanding that this is something that everyone does not get an opportunity to do,” said Mathies. “I will learn things that you just don’t get from picking up a book. And, I’ll get to do it in three days, which is big.”
Mathies is beginning his third season on the Hilltopper staff as defensive line coach. In his first two years at WKU, three of his players — Dusty Bear, Charlie Phillips and Daniel Williams — earned all-Gateway Football Conference recognition. He has also worked on the collegiate level at Tennessee State from 2003-04 and Midwestern (Texas) State from 1999-02. Mathies got his start in coaching at Murray High School in 1998.
A four-year letterwinner in football, he began his career at Kansas — the Jayhawks were 6-5 in his only season of action in 1994 — before transferring to Murray State. A defensive lineman, he helped the Racers to a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships as MSU qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in both 1995 and ’96, advancing to the second round in their second appearance. The Racers went 29-7 in his three years with a 21-2 league record during that span.
Mathies, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Murray State in 1998, is also slated to complete an internship with the Dallas Cowboys that will begin late in July.
“This is a credit to Eric and the passion he has to continually improve as a coach,” WKU head coach David Elson said. “It is an honor for him individually and our program to be selected for this seminar, and will certainly help improve our program as a whole. We are very lucky to have Eric on our staff.”
The NCAA began its Football Coaches Academy Program in 2003. Additionally, the Association hosts an Expert Coaches Academy program, which also provides skill enhancement at an elevated level.
