[Bull got out!]

I actually haven’t been on this site for quite awhile. So long ago that I forgot my old user and password, so I created a new so I could post about Coach Matney. This may be a long one folks!

As an official in the NEKFOA for almost 20 years, I feel like Coach Matney was a friend. Although  I never hung out with Coach outside of football except for rules clinics and seeing each in passing, I feel as though I have lost a friend. My football relationship with him dates back to his days at Sheldon Clark and continued until I officiated his 2018 KHSAA Championship game against Franklin-Simpson. As you can probably imagine, we have been in some very heated conversations through years. He was so passionate about the game!! You fill find very few people that love the game like he did. It was in his BLOOD! Our relationship changed through the years as I developed as an official. The early Sheldon Clark years, he was in my ear constantly!!! He knew that I was a young official and he was always trying to get any competitive advantage. Lol. So, he definitely worked me on the sidelines and probably got a call or two due to my inexperience. As I got older, he moved on but our battles continued. I know that he chased our crew off the field at halftime several times! I’m sure he told me that I was never welcomed back to his stadium again. He told many officials/crews that over the years. As I became a Referee, I began to appreciate the man behind all the screaming. When you slide on the white hat, the conversations are different. The intensity of the conversations are the same, however the true meaning is revealed in those conversations. The conversations that are difficult to master as an official. But Coach Matney let his feeling show in those conversations. He would always end his argument with ……..my boys! This is about MY BOYS or MY TEAM. He loved those kids so much that he would argue to the ends of the earth if he believed their was a single chance that it would help his boys. Some of the arguments he presented were crazy and he was smart enough to know it but he put himself out there for his boys and his team. He loved every single one of those kids! From Sheldon Clark to Johnson Central! He saw those kids as an extension of myself and he was going to do anything and everything he could to make those boys winners! Man…. You gotta respect that. After years of having crazy arguments with him, I finally felt as though I understood his perspective. Now, that doesn’t mean that I agreed with him but I understood him. I understood what he was fighting for. That’s the kind of Leader of men that we need now!

Fast forward a few years. I moved to Northern Kentucky and took and new job. I continued to officiate but in a née association. I was lucky enough to be selected to officiate my  finals in 2018 from a new association. My assignment this time around …Franklin-Simpson vs Johnson Central and Coach Matney. I was eager to see familiar faces from JC and it did not disappoint. It was good to see a familiar face on the sidelines at Kroger Field and Coach was in the zone! I made it a point to go talk to him prior to the game and he was amazing. One thing with Coach, when he spoke to you, he was invested in that conversation. We caught up for a few moments prior to kickoff and I will never forget that talk. It was like we were both amazed at the paths we had been blessed with that had placed us on the field that day. From back at the start at Sheldon Clark to Kroger Stadium for the ultimate game in 4A! It was truly a special conversation that I will never forget.

As for the game, I actually had a flag for a BSB that resulted in a TD being called back after a long punt return. He was NOT HAPPY! He argued for his boys and did what Coach Matney did, he stood up for his players, whether right or wrong sometimes. Now, he knew it was a foul by rule but he was going to stand up for his boys, just like he had done a million times before over the years. Johnson Central would go on to lose that game by 2 points.

I will never forget my final interaction with Coach Matney. He was pretty upset after I made that call to take the TD off the board. We argued for several minutes about it and I knew deep down that he knew it was the correct call. After everything had settled and several minutes after that play, He walked up behind me, slapped me on the butt, and said …..”It’s really good see you here”.

That was Coach Matney! He was the truest definition of the word COACH! I will cherish the time that I got to spend with him during our games together. He is a true LEGEND and an All Time great coach in Kentucky. Prayers to the Matney family!! He touched so many lives and his impact will be felt for generations. Prayers to the Johnson Central community as you grieve and try to move on to replace this amazing man. RIP Coach Matney!! You are a true LEGEND in Kentucky HS Football.

Thanks for posting this. Awesome!!!!