Exclusive: A Look Back at Matt Stinchcomb

“Determined, focused, hungry.” Three words Georgia great Matt Stinchcomb used to describe himself. And while Matt joked that he was “literally hungry” during our interview, no serious Bulldogs fan would deny that Stinchcomb is one of the greatest football players to ever don the Red & Black.

The newest member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame made his mark in Athens playing four years as an offensive lineman. The Atlanta native is no stranger to accolades as Matt Stinchcomb is also a member of the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame, the University of Georgia Circle of Honor, an “SEC Legend” and is one of the 19 Dawgs in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Stinchcomb started playing sports at a young age and from the beginning was determined to excel. But that determination was innate. His parents never pushed him. He said, “We got exposed to a bunch of different sports. While our parents were intentional about that they were never pushy, they were actually the opposite of that, they were supportive and encouraging but never expecting anything. It wasn’t like you need to be better at ‘x,y,z,’ we’re expecting returns on our time investment, none of that. They wanted us to have fun, and be active.”

While many expect that big kids start football at a young age, the European version was the only football that Stinchcomb played for most of his childhood: “I think soccer helped a ton for me. I was always a big kid, I was always a lot bigger than the other kids. I had growth spurts, but they never stood out because comparatively, I was always bigger than my peers anyways. Because of that people said, ‘Oh you play football.’ It was almost a constant drumbeat. It made sense if you see a big kid, he probably plays football, but I didn’t until I was 11 years old.”

Stinchcomb's determination led him to another unorthodox pursuit for an American football player. Like Herschel Walker, Stinchcomb has a background in dance. He said, “I took tap, ballet, in fact, our dad got thrown out of ballet performances because he was laughing so hard, he just thought it was funny. They asked him to leave because he was laughing so hard, it was distracting other people.” Nimble feet would help Stinchcomb's transition to the offensive line.

Despite growing up in DeKalb County, his mom taught in Gwinnett County so Stinchcomb attended Parkview High School: “Parkview was terrible at football at the time, but frankly that didn’t play into our decision at the time, as far as where you want to play. My freshman year we had a new coach Chuck Mise, he came to Parkview and turned that program around.”

Stinchcomb credits the confidence that his coaches had in him as a player for much of his success, saying, “He [Coach Mise] started me as a freshman on the varsity at defensive tackle and he really believed in me long before I believed in myself, which proved to be a really big deal down the line. He believed in me enough to start me that young and stick with it.”

Coach Mise’s faith and Stinchcomb's hard work and determination resulted in him developing into an outstanding offensive lineman in his final two seasons. Word of his immense talent caught the attention of many college coaches. And while Georgia was never the “dream” school for him, it soon became his focus: “Every single college visit I took except for one was (planned to occur) when Georgia was the visiting team. When I went to South Carolina, it just so happened South Carolina was playing Georgia. When I took a visit to Florida, they were playing Georgia in the Swamp. So all the visits I took, and I took quite a few, it was so I could watch Georgia play. The only game I didn’t do that for was the Iron Bowl. I wanted to see that rivalry while they still played it in the actual Iron Bowl.”

Early commitments were unusual when Stinchcomb chose Georgia: “It was kind of cut and dry at that point; I was recruited for a long time, I felt pretty confident in that decision, and it was kind of a foregone conclusion for me.” After signing with Georgia, he turned his focus to making an early impact. He said, “I think I played a little in those first few games of my freshman year, but I didn’t play at all versus Florida. I ended up splitting time at guard, so I would go in every other series. By the end of my freshman year, I started. That was tough, (the coaches) were definitely projecting and hoping I would improve because there was no way I was good enough to be on the field that early. I really benefited from my coaches because they saw something that wasn’t already there.”

At the end of Stinchcomb's freshman season, Georgia decided to make a change at head coach, letting go of Ray Goff in favor of Jim Donnan. The new coaching staff moved Stinchcomb to tackle and he credits much of his success at his new position to another Georgia great: “I moved to right tackle and really learned how to play from Adam Meadows who was our left tackle. I watched him and that’s how I kind of learned how to pass set. My pass set was never as good as his, but I tried to steal it from him. I basically just mimicked the way he did it. That made the transition easier; he was a really good tackle.”

Stinchcomb became a "really good tackle" himself, earning first-team All-American status in both his junior and senior seasons. Once again, his determination and focus led him to success on the field. But his hunger to succeed extended beyond football. In 1998, Stinchcomb was awarded the Draddy Trophy (now called the Campbell Award), which is often referred to as the “Academic Heisman.'' This award recognizes the college football player who each season represents the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. Stinchcomb remains the only Georgia Bulldog to win this award.

Much like in high school, his outstanding college play earned the attention of the next level. And it is appropriate that a player committed to personal excellence was drafted in the first round by Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. Not surprisingly, Stinchcomb gives credit to his fellow Georgia offensive linemen: “If a guy is playing well on the offensive line and everyone else sucks, then it’s meaningless. When I look back at the lines that I played on, most of them went onto the league. Chris Terry, second round, Jonas Jennings played like 10 years, just go down the line of that team; we had some good ball players on that offensive front and more than a few that played in the league for a long time.”

Stinchcomb played six years in the NFL, first with the Raiders and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He said, “It was kind of like college all over again; you do it because that’s what's next. I didn’t do it because it was my dream to get drafted. I am grateful for it more than I was then because my mindset was, ‘This is just what’s next,’ and it’s not just next. It is an amazing opportunity and a unique one that is not afforded to all the players that deserve the opportunity. I didn’t view it as validation and just viewed it kind of as 'This is what’s next.’”

Stinchcomb hung up his pads following the 2005 season because “I just couldn’t pass a physical anymore.” After playing a physically demanding sport for so long “your body just kind of quits on you.” But like it often does, the closing of one chapter means the opening of another.

His dedication, focus and hunger have led to two different but successful careers off the field. Stinchcomb can be heard on Saturdays as an ESPN and SEC Network college football analyst. And never one to be outworked, during the week, Stinchcomb and David Greene oversee the Atlanta office of the insurance firm Seacrest Partners while also pursuing many charitable activities. Just like his fellow alumni that I have had the honor to interview, Matt Stinchcomb is a Bulldog that every fan can be proud of.