Ever since Shorter first fielded a football team in 2005, two things have remained a constant and at the same time have been synonymous with each other – the Hawks’ well-established and nationally-known run offense and Tim Mathis, who since that inaugural season has been behind that success.
As Shorter’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, Mathis begins his ninth season having seen the Hawks in 2012 serve quick notice in their first season as an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Gulf South Conference that they are a legitimate offensive threat.
Last fall, the players who run the offense under Mathis wound up leading the GSC in rushing, fourth-down conversions and time of possession, and third in total offense, with fullback Bradley Moon leading the conference in rushing and quarterback Eric Dodson ranked third in the GSC in total yards.
That kind of year, however, is not surprising. All one has to look at is Shorter’s past offensive history is all about, a history that has a common denominator in Mathis.
Since taking over as the offensive coordinator in 2010, Mathis’ offenses maintained its status as one of the top NAIA rushing teams in the nation, while at the same time producing 10 All-Conference placers.
Not surprisingly, the foundation of what Mathis has done as the Hawks’ offensive coordinator can be traced back when he served as Shorter’s offensive line coach, the position he held in that first season until 2009.
During his tenure as the line coach, the players in the trenches paved the way for record-setting seasons, the highlight coming in 2008 when Shorter led the NAIA in rushing, won the Mid-South Conference championship and earned the program’s first-ever postseason playoff berth.
In those first five seasons, all in which Shorter was ranked nationally in most of the national NAIA categories, the Hawks’ linemen under Mathis also achieved recognition for their hard work up front as two of his linemen earned All-America honors and a dozen players were All-Conference selections.
A graduate of West Rome High and Georgia Southern University, Mathis and his wife Mesha have two children, Abby (14) and Hunter (12.)
