LITTLE ROCK — Citing a professional opportunity outside of football and a desire to closer follow his son’s football career, Gwaine Mathews resigned as Arkansas-Monticello football coach Monday after six seasons.
Mathews, who guided the Boll Weevils to a 4-7 finish this year and was 22-44 overall in six seasons in Monticello, said he informed UAM Chancellor Dr. Jack Lassiter of his decision Monday.
“I love UAM,” Mathews said by phone. “I have worked my tail off here and I want nothing but what is best for my kids there. ... I’ve been battling with this for a good bit.And it’s not an easy thing, I can tell you that.”
An athletic department release issued Monday said a search for Mathews’ replacement will begin immediately, and Athletic Director Chris Ratcliff expressed appreciation for Mathews’ work, which included his coaching of 20 all-Gulf South Conference selections.
Mathews also assisted in fundraising efforts which led to a new indoor practice facility that opened last year and a weight room set to open in January.
“There’s always good and bad that comes with coaching,” Ratcliff said when reached by phone. “If someone just looked at wins and losses, they wouldn’t see what Gwaine was able to do here.”
Ratcliff, who is also UAM’s women’s basketball coach, said a committee will be formed to help find a new coach and hopes to have the position filled within three weeks.
“If it wasn’t for Thanksgiving, it’d be done in two weeks,” he said.
Mathews declined to provide details about the position he has accepted other than to say it is outside of football, includes a larger salary and an opportunity to watch his son Brishen, who is a freshman safety at Mississippi, continue his collegiate career.
Gwaine Mathews said he was unable to see his son play this season until last Saturday’s loss to LSU in Baton Rouge, La.
Mathews, who has coached on a year-to-year contract since being hired from Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2005,said he called coaching counterparts throughout the Gulf South on Monday, such as Ouachita Baptist’s Todd Knight and Arkansas Tech’s Steve Mullins, as he said goodbye to a profession he’s known for 20 seasons.
It was a decision he struggled with even while coaching his final game, a 31-14 loss at South Alabama on Nov. 11.
“Everything I have in my life has come through this game, brother,” he said. “Since we walked off the field [Nov. 11], it’s been an ongoing struggle for me.”
Mathews will leave UAM following one of his most disappointing seasons.
Saddled with self-made expectations thanks to a record-setting quarterback accompanied by several offensive seniors, the Boll Weevils’ hopes of reaching the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time were derailed by midseason injuries and disciplinary actions.
Quarterback Scott Buisson, who became the state’s all-time leader in total offense at the college level this year, missed all or part of three games with a broken finger.
Receivers Jywin Ceaser and Joseph Lockwood battled through hamstring injuries, while tight end Joseph Green and offensive tackle Tripp Boatner missed time because of suspensions.
Mathews said the struggles didn’t play into his decision, but he admitted the frustration that came with a stretch of five losses in six games was draining.
“I had such high expectations for this year. Maybe I set them too high,” Mathews said. “Maybe my fault was expecting too much because I thought we had everything in place.
“But football is like life, sometimes it doesn’t go the way you plan for it to go.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 11/23/2010