The Details: Mathis Matures Into 'Real Man'
June 17, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
There was a time when Joe Mathis thought he had all the answers. When the 6-foot-2, 256-pound outside linebacker arrived at Washington, he believed he had already experienced enough in life to make himself a man.
He didn't understand how one adult could teach another, "how to be a man."
So, when Chris Petersen took over as the Huskies' head coach before Mathis' sophomore season, "I didn't want to listen to them."
These days, though, as Mathis prepares for his first Father's Day as a father, his outlook on life is much different. As he worked his way through college, as he got older and more mature, he realized there is more to being what he called a "real man" than he knew when he arrived at Washington.
"The thing is, I was a boy who thought he was a man," Mathis said.
How did he get to this point?
Well, "It took a lot of tough love from coach Pete and the coaches," he said. "It just made me grow. Now I just embrace each time they talk to us about being a real man, how to treat women and how to treat people in general.
"I take it in. I really think about it."
With each year Mathis has been in college, there has been a noticeable change. He has embraced the opportunity to become someone he is proud of, someone who is thoughtful about the way he treats his wife, Savitri, his teammates, coaches and friends.
When Petersen brings guest speakers for "Real Life Wednesday," Mathis is always prepared with a pen and paper to take notes.
"I use what they've taught me about how to treat women and how to treat people," he said. "I'm grateful for being around such great coaches, such great men."
These days, with a son – Joe Sahil Mathis IV – on the way, each lesson he learns becomes more valuable.
"Everything hit me at once," he said. "I didn't think I'd be a father right now and be married, but God works in mysterious ways. God has a plan for everybody. I'm thankful for it, because it settled me down."
Now a father, student and athlete, Mathis works daily to organize his priorities to help him prepare for the latest addition to his fledgling family.
"It has me focusing on what's important now – school and football," Mathis said. "If I don't take care of that, how can I take care of my family?"
When asked about his father, the man he was named after, Mathis smiled.
"Growing up, he was the greatest dad ever," Mathis said. "He got me into football. He pushed me. He taught me that, if you really want something, go get it and never back down from anybody."
There were times when Mathis didn't understand the message. Every summer, he had to drop 20 pounds to play football, and there were times Mathis didn't want to work.
But his father provided a reason.
"This is going to set you up for life," Mathis said, looking back on what his father told him when he was younger.
Things didn't always come easy for father and son, but Mathis passed down the family name as a tribute to Joe Henry Mathis II. The only difference is the middle name. Savitri picked that one.
"I'm building the relationship I want to have with my father," he said. "He didn't know I was going to name him after him. He broke down when I told him."
So here he is, a few months away from the first game of his final season with Washington. He has found his way in the classroom. He has found his way on the field. And he has found his way with his family.
He understands there are challenges ahead. He understands he has work to do, a wife to support and a son to raise. But he also understands he doesn't have all the answers and has learned to establish a support system to help ensure his success.
When he arrived at Washington, he thought he was a man. He learned along the way that, to become a "real man" the growth process is ongoing.
And now, well, "Father's Day is taking on a whole new meaning," he said. "It's just crazy. It feels like a dream, but it's reality. Now I'm not doing things for me. I'm doing things for my family. I'm doing things for my wife and my son, and I'm just trying to get better every day as a person, as a husband and father."
