“I’m at peace with where I am right now. I think that the best part of being me is that I’m happy. I’m blessed. And I want to be a blessing to others.” Those were ex-Falcon receiver Terance Mathis’ words when expressing his thoughts after accepting the head coach position at Morehouse College, an HBCU in Atlanta. See, Mathis might be a bit busy turning around a program that endured consecutive 1-9 seasons before he took over. However, amid his thriving career as a coach in downtown Atlanta. Mathis is still remembered for his insane contributions to the sport.

Georgia Sports has just inducted Terance Mathis into their class of 2025 Hall of Fame for his contributions to the state. And upon hearing that news, the Falcons were quick to congratulate their former receiver, who was instrumental in their Super Bowl XXXIII run. Yes, he couldn’t win the Lombardi for the Falcons, but those eight seasons he spent in Atlanta are enough for them to remember Mathis for his latest achievement. “Georgia sports legend, @coachmathis81. Congratulations on your @GAsportsHOF induction!” they wrote on X.

Actually, Mathis’ coaching journey started in Georgia, the very state in which he grew up. He first earned the offensive coordinator position at Savannah State University. Mathis stayed with the program for a single year and then transitioned into high school coaching. His next big opportunity came at the helm of Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, Georgia.

Serving as their head coach for 2 years, Mathis was on the move again. This time to another school, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, also in Georgia. Well, this was also a short-lived tenure as Mathis’ next opportunity came in a private Christian School, Fellowship Christian.

Jumping from one school in Georgia to another as their assistant coach. Each one of them got some dose of Mathis’ valuable insights on football. He usually focused on direct player development through constant community engagement. And that constant knocking on the doors of different Georgia schools finally landed him another role as a head coach. Morehouse College gave him his next big break. With that being said, Mathis joined the likes of Deion Sanders, Sam Shade, and Michael Vick to coach at HBCUs. Seeing Mathis’ journey as a coach in the football community from 2011.

You would be a bit surprised to know the ex-Falcon could have started coaching in the early 2000s. Yeah, he had a huge offer on the table, which Mathis rejected just to continue playing in the NFL.

Terance Mathis—chose to keep scoring TDs instead of teaching TDs

Last year, in an exclusive interview with Behind the Mask Podcast, Terance Mathis revealed how he regretted rejecting coaching offers. “My 12th year in Atlanta Falcons, my exit meeting with Dan Reeves..he said. You’d be a fine coach. I want you on my staff. But I told him, Coach, I want to play another year.” So, knowing he had to prolong his career. Mathis packed his bags and moved to Pittsburgh, which didn’t really turn out too well for him. He didn’t start a single game in black and gold, and when the Steelers chose not to resign him—Mathis retired.

However, just like Dan Reeves in Atlanta, Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh also saw something in him that Mathis didn’t believe. Cowher asked him to join his coaching staff once he retired. But like Atlanta, Mathis reiterated his thoughts, “I didn’t think I was ready to be a coach, but I guess that I was at the time.” He knew it was a mistake to reject Reeves and Cowher’s proposals and regretted it instantly. Because after retiring from gridiron duties, Mathis turned into a personal trainer. And everything after that is history, which you already know. Like Mathis himself once said, “Well, you live and you learn, right?”

Of course, there’s no end of the road. Yes, Mathis did make some wrong decisions. However, in the end, it all turned out well. He is happily nurturing the minds of young footballers who also dream of playing in the NFL—one day.