Web Threads: Bruce Matthews
05/15/2025 | General, Spider Athletic Fund, Academic Services
By Courtney Claud, Assistant Director of Development
Web Threads are in-depth, behind-the-scenes stories from those at the heart of Richmond Athletics: student-athletes, staff members, loyal supporters, and more. Web Threads gives a glimpse into the ambitions, motivations, and sacrifices of the individuals who allow Richmond to excel at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics and academics as well as the philanthropy that supports them every step of the way. Welcome to our web.
At the University of Richmond, Spider student-athletes are champions not only on the field but also in the classroom. Behind this culture of dynamic excellence is a quiet constant: the unwavering support of Bruce Matthews and the academic services team.
For more than two decades, Matthews has served as the Associate Athletics Director for Academic Support & Student Services – but, his job title only scratches the surface. To generations of Richmond athletes, Matthews is a coach, mentor, problem-solver, and, perhaps most importantly, teacher.
Matthews arrived at Richmond on January 19, 2004, after 12 hours on the road from Alabama. He had previously worked in academic support for Auburn University’s football program, after pursuing a Ph.D. in history and teaching college courses.
“What I found was that I’m still teaching,” Matthews said. “I get to teach someone for four or five years. Doesn’t matter the discipline. I get to help students just be better. That’s the joy.”
His academic lens, paired with an understanding of the student-athlete experience, shaped his philosophy.
“What matters is how we pour into people. We’re in the business of building and we have been blessed with faculty, staff, administrators and coaches that care.”
Success, to Matthews, isn’t measured by GPAs or conference standings - it’s measured one student at a time.
For him and his team, helping a student-athlete work through a difficult class can be as rewarding as watching one walk the commencement stage with honors. The end goal is building not just strong students, but resilient, reflective, and community-minded individuals.
Sometimes, it's guiding a hesitant freshman toward newfound confidence. Other times, it's crafting a recommendation that helps unlock a prestigious opportunity. And often, it's offering just the right words—at just the right moment—that make all the difference.
“I had a student tell me, 10 years after graduation, ‘I remember when you told me you had faith in me.’ That one line carried him through,” Matthews said. “Don’t underestimate your impact.”
At Richmond, academic support is not a box to check. It’s a robust, integrated part of the student-athlete experience, made possible through the generosity of philanthropic giving and designed to empower every Spider to succeed.
Student-athletes work closely with advisors who partner across academics, leadership development, and career services. This all-hands, all-minds approach empowers the university to meet student-athletes exactly where they are—whether they're aiming for graduate school or entering the job market—and propel them toward success."
“We don’t operate in silos here, we’re connected—to faculty, to the campus community, to each other,” Matthews said. “That connection allows us to help students move towards their goals.”
It’s that infrastructure, and the relational culture behind it, that has helped Richmond achieve a Graduation Success Rate of 98%, tied for sixth best in all of Division I.
“Talk isn’t cheap here,” Matthews emphasized. “We truly value the student-athlete experience. And students know when it’s real.”
For every story of a standout scholar-athlete, balancing high-level academics with extra-curriculars, there are quieter stories—of students who didn’t believe they could finish, until they did. Matthews and his staff cherish them all.
“We had a student training for the pros who came back and said, ‘I had no idea what Richmond did for me until I met guys from other schools,’” Matthews recalled. “That’s when it clicks. That’s when they realize this place shaped them.”
And that’s what keeps Matthews coming back. Even in an era of change, his approach hasn’t wavered.
For Matthews, what matters most to him is whether the next student through his door finds something here that they didn’t expect: belief, support, growth.
“When you come to Richmond, we’re going to add layers to you—more than you imagined,” he said. “It will be hard. But, when you leave, you’ll be ready for anything.”
For 21 years, Bruce Matthews has been layering that legacy—one student-athlete, one class, one quiet victory at a time.
