Super Bowl Swimming Connection: Father of Rams QB Matthew Stafford Was a Swim Coach
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams will play in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, and leading the Rams in his first year as their starting quarterback is Matthew Stafford. Stafford was the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions out of the University of Georgia, and he was traded one year ago to Los Angeles. The move paid off for both Stafford and the team as the Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on January 30 to qualify for the title game.
While Stafford developed into a premier football player, he actually has some serious swimming bloodlines. His father, John Stafford, swam at Florida State University, and later, he was graduate assistant coach at the University of Georgia, head coach at Bolles from 1972 to 1976 and head coach at Florida State from 1977 until 1983, when he left coaching to enter private business in Tampa.
John Stafford was at Georgia from the fall of 1970 until the spring of 1972, and during those two years, he was the direct coach of a butterfly and distance specialist named Jack Bauerle. Bauerle, of course, went on to become head coach of the Georgia women’s team in 1978 and the men’s team in 1983, and he continues to lead both programs. Bauerle has led the Georgia women’s team to seven national titles and 11 SEC Championships. Over the years, Bauerle and John Stafford kept in contact and remained friends, and they became even closer when Matthew came to the University of Georgia to play quarterback in 2006. Coincidentally, Bauerle and Matthew share a birthday, February 7.
“I coached Jack in his first two years at UGA, and it was my first two years coaching on the collegiate level,” John Stafford said. “Jack was in my distance and butterfly group. UGA was in transition, trying to grow and build the program. In my mind, Jack led the way. Regardless of how difficult the practice, the set, the dryland program, he attacked it. There was no challenge too big for him. He was a fierce competitor. I learned more from him than I taught him for sure. I loved his humor, his positive attitude, his leadership.”
Matthew ended up following a different sports path than his father, but John passed on some of his sports acumen gained through swimming to Matthew as he became one of the most talented high school quarterbacks in the country, a college star and then a successful NFL starter.
“I think one thing I passed on to Matthew is the importance of work ethic, the ability to every day apply your best effort, not go get ahead of the day by focusing on game day, etc.,” John said. “Another thing is to not ride the highs too high or the lows too low. Stay even, and you’ll perform your best.”