MADISON – After establishing a solid record at Bob Jones High School, Matthew Sweatman will work now as Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Discovery Middle School.

In 2015, then Principal Robby Parker hired Sweatman as head wrestling coach, football offensive line coach and special education teacher. In 2021, he joined Coach Whitney Deaver’s softball staff. “I learned a tremendous amount from Coach Deaver,” Sweatman said.

For nine years, he has worked in these areas with Principal Sylvia Lambert.

As Discovery Athletic Director, Sweatman will direct all sports. “I’ll be working daily to help streamline our middle-school athletics and better prepare them to compete at the highest level (at) Bob Jones,” he said.

“As an Assistant Principal, I’ll wear multiple hats, including discipline, busses and curriculum,” Sweatman said.

“I’ve always been known as a disciplinarian but most of it comes from being consistent and maintaining that in all situations,” Sweatman said. “I’m very routine-based and think students, faculty and community members respect honesty, accountability and an open line of communication.”

Sweatman believes an outstanding school culture depends on building relationships, keeping a high level of consistency and communicating appropriately. “Luckily, Discovery’s current administration and faculty have an outstanding reputation in all these areas. I look forward to joining the Discovery team and contributing.”

At Bob Jones, Sweatman’s major successes involved the wrestling team’s qualification for in back-to-back years. “Winning the state title in 2018 and being runner-up in 2019 will always hold a special place in my heart due to work by those young men and faith in me to get them to that level,” Sweatman said.

“Wrestling is such a tough sport,” he said. “The daily grind to get to that level is a compliment to the wrestlers’ mental toughness, community support and administration backing.”

Because wrestling is so difficult, student-athletes improve as better men and women, he said. “As a coach and a parent, I appreciate successes of our former student-athletes. (Since 2015), our program has produced doctors, military personnel, veterinarians, college football players, college wrestlers and a plethora of other highly successful adults.”

Sweatman is filling the vacancy left by Kurt Yancey, who has transferred to Bob Jones as Athletic Director.

Matthew and his wife Anna have been married 10 years. Their children are seven-year-old Allie, a student at Madison Elementary School, and three-year-old Mac who will later attend West Madison Pre-Kindergarten Center.

Matthew coaches his daughter’s 7u travel softball team, affiliated with Impact Gold. “I’m a very competitive person. I’ve played in a men’s 25+ baseball league (since 2019) that my childhood best friend, Haydn Hayes, and I started with friends named ‘Madison Expos.’”

A native of Trion, Ga., Sweatman worked as student manager for the University of Alabama with Coach Nick Saban from 2008-2011.