If Ben Griffith had not left his offensive coordinator role at Georgia Southern to take a similar job at New Mexico, Terance Mathis may not have had the opportunity to play Division I-A football as an offensive player. And if Mathis had not played for the Lobos, the college football world may have missed out on one of the most dynamic playmakers in the sport's history.
 
"I think New Mexico is where I was supposed to be," Mathis said. "God intended for me to be there. I received letters from a lot of schools all over the country. A lot of schools looked at me as a defensive back. I didn't see myself playing in the SEC at that time at my size as a defensive back, especially when all my life I had been an offensive guy.
 
"It was great that I had an offensive coordinator who believed in me, and a head coach who saw me as more than a quarterback. I was a football player, an athlete, and they utilized my abilities to the best of their ability."
 
"Football player" may best describe Mathis' role on the field. And that jack-of-all-trades distinction is what has helped him become the second former New Mexico player to make the College Football Hall of Fame — and the first offensive Lobos player to make it.
 
Mathis went to New Mexico as a quarterback, and he was immersed in all of the QB meetings as a freshman. He was far down the depth chart, as most first-year players were, but head coach Joe Lee Dunn was insistent on finding a way to get Mathis on the field as quickly as possible. The staff ran a run-and-shoot offense, and it tried Mathis out in the slot receiver role. He made enough of a first impression as a pass-catcher that wideout became his primary position — not that a position could truly define what Mathis brought to the table.
 
"I never went to a wide receiver meeting; I was always in the quarterback meeting room," Mathis said. "And that's where I learned to be as, you put it, as dynamic as I could be, because I was learning the defense and I knew what everybody on offense was doing.
 
"So, I was taught a lot by Coach Griffith at that time. And when (new head coach) Mike Sheppard came in, he just took it to a different level."
 
A multi-sport star out of Redan High in Stone Mountain, Ga., Mathis had been unfamiliar with his eventual college destination, a place where he would also end up playing on the hardwood for a brief period. More than a half-dozen school records later, Mathis became synonymous with New Mexico.
 
"The only thing I knew about the state, the school and the city was The Pit, the world renown basketball arena," Mathis said. "I didn't know much more about the state at all, the area or the school. But after doing research I became familiar with it and fell in love with the area."
 
He later added, laughing: "During the first semester I was really homesick, and I used to call my mom collect almost every day. And after awhile she said, 'Stop calling me collect. You're wasting my money. Get it together and grow up.'"
 
Mathis is the only player in school history with at least 250 receptions, 4,000 receiving yards and 6,000 all-purpose yards. He ended his college career as the NCAA career leader in receptions and receiving yards.
 
The Jets drafted Mathis in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL Draft, the start of a 13-year career across three teams. He made the Pro Bowl with the Falcons in 1994 and caught a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIII.
 
Mathis remains in the Atlanta area, where he is active in both the football and the charity community, as he has coached at both the high school and college level and has been a partner in several events to benefit the Emory ALS Center.
 
"I've said it many times: I couldn't have done this by myself," Mathis said. "There's no way I could've done this by myself. There have been so many people in my life — family-wise, friends-wise, teammates-wise. My teammates were phenomenal. They made sure that I played at a high level. And I felt like I owed them to play at a high level because they expected it from me.
 
"From the administration to students to players and athletes from other sports, it's about them. I want them to be proud of not what I've done, but of the University of New Mexico."
 
UP CLOSE:
 

• Named a 1989 consensus First Team All-American and a Third Team All-American in 1987 (making him both the Lobos' first consensus and first two-time All-American).
• Finished his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in career receptions (263) and receiving yards (4,254) and also set NCAA records for most games with a touchdown reception (26) and kickoff returns for a touchdown (3).
• Became the first player in NCAA history with more than 200 receptions, 4,000 receiving yards and 6,000 all-purpose yards in a career.
• Played for head coaches Joe Lee Dunn and Mike Sheppard.
• Becomes just the second player in Lobos history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.