MJ Hanging up the cleats

Em_Jae20

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Thank you for all you've done for Georgia Tech Matthew! I wish nothing but the best for you in any and all of your future endeavors!
 

presjacket

Ramblin' Wreck
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678
Thank you, Matthew Jordan. I wish you the best of luck in the future, but I know that your work ethic, drive, and determination will bring you success in whatever you do.
 

GTRX7

Helluva Engineer
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Thank you MJ. I think he would have come in and won the UVA game for us if healthy. He is perfectly suited for those power offense in those rain type games and we missed him.
 

melloace

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
471
Hey at @Rock . A little story I would love for you to pass on if you could. Jordan inspired my high school aged brother in law who had been struggling accepting his type 1 diabetes. He always felt it was going to hold him back and I showed him the Virginia Tech 2016 game and how Jordan came in and balled out against a very good team. He was absolutely shocked when I told him that Jordan had diabetes just like him and it wasn't holding him back. Dude is an inspiration. Was going to try to take him to fan day next year, but it looks like those plans are out. Thanks for all you've done for Tech. Go kick some real world ***.
 
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Rock

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
615
Hey at @Rock . A little story I would love for you to pass on if you could. Jordan inspired my high school aged brother in law who had been struggling accepting his type 1 diabetes. He always felt it was going to hold him back and I showed him the Virginia Tech 2016 game and how Jordan came in and balled out against a very good team. He was absolutely shocked when I told him that Jordan had diabetes just like him and it wasn't holding him back. Dude is an inspiration. Was going to try to take him to fan day next year, but it looks like those plans are out. Thanks for all you've done for Tech. Go kick some real world ***.

Awesome. Will do.

Thanks for sharing!
 

Rock

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
615
Hey at @Rock . A little story I would love for you to pass on if you could. Jordan inspired my high school aged brother in law who had been struggling accepting his type 1 diabetes. He always felt it was going to hold him back and I showed him the Virginia Tech 2016 game and how Jordan came in and balled out against a very good team. He was absolutely shocked when I told him that Jordan had diabetes just like him and it wasn't holding him back. Dude is an inspiration. Was going to try to take him to fan day next year, but it looks like those plans are out. Thanks for all you've done for Tech. Go kick some real world ***.

He will still be in school until June, so he may be there.
 

JacketFromUGA

Helluva Engineer
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4,897
https://www.isye.gatech.edu/news/optimizing-game-supply-chain-strategy

Optimizing the Game with Supply Chain Strategy
Nov 27, 2017 | Atlanta, GA

It’s not every day that a student pursuing a master’s degree also plays NCAA Division 1 football. This fall, Matt Jordan, one of Georgia Tech’s talented quarterbacks, began the College of Engineering’s graduate program in ISyE for supply chain engineering. No small feat for someone with two-a-day practices and workouts. Despite the workload, Jordan is excited to discover new applications for supply chain management in his master’s program, which meets the growing demand for business-savvy engineers who can design and synchronize highly complex global supply chains.

“Since I started at Tech, I’ve been interested in supply chain management – moving a product from the supplier all the way to the end consumer – but there is a difference between that and supply chain engineering,” said Jordan. “With supply chain management, you are operating off a system that’s already been created. With supply chain engineering, you’re creating the supply chain. And I think that is a very interesting challenge.”

It’s not just classroom learning that has Jordan thinking about supply chain management. He also uniquely applies supply chain strategy on the football field. He notes that supply chain management is all about efficiency and optimization, focusing on the quickest way to get a product from point A to point B.

“On the football field, you want the most efficient and quickest way to score a touchdown,” said Jordan. “That’s what we aim to achieve as well with supply chain management and engineering, but with products. You want to get the product as quickly as possible to the consumer.”

While Jordan says that the strategy behind the game is ultimately all up to the coach, he does rely on it when executing.

“When I execute a play, I draw on supply chain strategy,” said Jordan. “If the ball needs to go to a certain spot, at a certain time, I envision the best way to do that with the players I have around me. It’s about optimizing the field.”

After football and earning his master’s, Jordan plans on joining the workforce in a supply chain management or engineering role. The combination of a business degree in supply chain management and a master’s degree in supply chain engineering sets him up well for a career in logistics.

“With both of my degrees [Jordan has a bachelor's in business administration from Tech], I’ll have a better understanding of why supply chain management is important, and I can put it into practice with the engineering experience,” said Jordan. “I understand why it’s important to have efficient supply chain management to run a company at optimal levels. Without good supply chain management, you don’t have a viable business.”

With companies like UPS and Delta in Atlanta, Jordan might even get to stay in the city that he’s come to love and continue cheering on Georgia Tech from the side lines.
 

JacketFromUGA

Helluva Engineer
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4,897
and another.

http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120617aaa.html

OUR STORIES: MATTHEW JORDAN

Georgia Tech football quarterback walks away with a season of eligibility remaining but two degrees in hand

Working in supply chain engineering, I've always been taught to be efficient in everything that I do. Whether with logistics and shipping for my parents' business or strategically going down the field to make your way to the end zone, I've sort of always been around it.

But life hasn't always been a straight shot.

When I was looking at colleges, I wanted to go to a school that would be great for me academically and give me a chance to go to the NFL -- every kid's dream. Georgia Tech had three things: 1) academics -- a no-brainer; 2) football in the ACC, a Power 5 conference -- a no-brainer; and 3) it's actually close to home, being just a five-hour drive away from my parents.

When I first got here, I honestly didn't have a clue what I would major in. But once I took global operations with Bob Myers, with all these different markets, and a service operations class with Manpreet Hora, where we audited a local coffee shop, I knew supply chain engineering was what I wanted to do.

I also didn't think school would be that hard, to be honest. In high school, I was a 4.0 GPA kid and things like that, but when I got to college, I was like, `OK, I really have to apply myself like I do on the field in the classroom.' Same with football too, though. I came in early -- I was only 17. So that spring, people kept telling me there's such a big difference and I was like, "Yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah. Whatever." And then came that first workout session we had with Coach John Sisk and I knew they were right. Then we put the pads on and it was the first time I really got hit. Then it was like, "OK, now I really know they were right."





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It was a big adjustment both in the classroom and on the football field, but I'm so thankful for the experiences they gave me, even with all the ups and the downs. Going to the Orange Bowl, going 3-9, going Ireland and then to the TaxSlayer bowl, going 5-6. It'll help me in life because God always has a plan. I believe everything happens for a reason.

When my foot injury first happened last spring, I Googled a lot about my injury and I saw that I was kind of iffy. I talked to Coach Paul Johnson and he said he had coached some guys that didn't really fully come back from it. But it wasn't going to stop me. I've had diabetes my whole live and I never let that stop me. So I wasn't going to let an injury stop me either.

When I re-injured it again this fall, the first thing I did was I prayed on it. Then I talked to my parents because I ask my Dad a lot for advice. At the end of the day, my decision to not come back next season just came down to the fact that leaving Tech is the best decision for me, especially with me graduating with my master's degree in supply chain engineering this coming May.

So, as my time as a student-athlete at Georgia Tech winds down, I have some people I'd like to thank. I think like any freshman coming in, I was kind of intimidated by Coach Johnson, with him being the head coach and the offensive coordinator too, I've now been around him for a long time. Every day in stretch lines, he would come by me and the other quarterbacks and crack a joke or two. He's like another father figure, really. You can always go in and ask him for advice. Advice for life, football, what I need to do to make myself better ... anything, really. He has always been there for me. I'm so thankful for Coach Johnson, it's unreal.

That goes for Coach Sisk too. People don't always understand that we're mainly around strength coaches when we're out of season, just because of NCAA rules and the fact that coaches are recruiting too. He's another father-type figure who I've spent a lot of time around. He's always had a good plan for me, whether that's with injury or without injury. He always wants what's best for his players. Like, if I go in the weight room now to work out, I'll also go in and chat with him 30 minutes to an hour to just talk about life.

And then my academic adviser, Chris Breen. He did an awesome job. From day one, he's always had a great plan for me, especially redshirting my first year. He knew with me coming in early that there was a chance I could work on my master's and I said, "Yes, that's what I want to do." We've had that plan since 2014 when I first redshirted. He's always helped me, whether I've needed tutoring or advice on what class to take or what route to go. He is a big part of the reason why I will earn a bachelor's and a master's degree in just four-and-a-half years.

I think it's always good to have a plan, but it's also always good to have a Plan B and a Plan C. A lot of guys say, "Oh, I'm going to the NFL." Alright, that's your only plan? I am going to be a Georgia Tech alum -- I can fall back on my education. I can go back and run the family business. I've always got a plan for "What if this doesn't happen? What should come next? What do I do then?" And that's from my Dad. He's always raised me to be the best man that I can be. That's why he suggested Tech.

A lot of people don't understand what we're going through, with Tech being so academically challenging and competing at the highest level of college football. If you can get through this, then that's just going to set you up for a lifetime.

And I'm excited to get that started. I've already wheeled across the stage once. But now I'll walk across the stage with a master's. We'll see what comes next.
 

jwsavhGT

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I love this part....

So, as my time as a student-athlete at Georgia Tech winds down, I have some people I'd like to thank. I think like any freshman coming in, I was kind of intimidated by Coach Johnson, with him being the head coach and the offensive coordinator too, I've now been around him for a long time. Every day in stretch lines, he would come by me and the other quarterbacks and crack a joke or two. He's like another father figure, really. You can always go in and ask him for advice. Advice for life, football, what I need to do to make myself better ... anything, really. He has always been there for me. I'm so thankful for Coach Johnson, it's unreal.
 

COJacket

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794
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Colorado Springs, CO
Everyone on this board that thinks GT is just like every other school needs to read this over and over again for comprehension because nothing else seems to sink in. This story is about those soldiers (student athletes) in the trenches. If you have not been there you should not tell soldiers like MJ they are wrong. GT is a tough academic school that most student athletes don’t want to deal with - it just a fact. Coach is not the ******* that some make him out to be. Too many athletes tell the same story as MJ for that to be true. If you don’t like option football that is ok and worth debating. But don’t make up crap that is not true. I am proud of how Coach supports his players especially those that get hurt. And MJ I wish you all the best SAs like you are what make me proud to be a Jacket!! You are now prepared to be successful in life.
 

GTech63

Helluva Engineer
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Flower Mound, TX (75022)
Everyone on this board that thinks GT is just like every other school needs to read this over and over again for comprehension because nothing else seems to sink in. This story is about those soldiers (student athletes) in the trenches. If you have not been there you should not tell soldiers like MJ they are wrong. GT is a tough academic school that most student athletes don’t want to deal with - it just a fact. Coach is not the ******* that some make him out to be. Too many athletes tell the same story as MJ for that to be true. If you don’t like option football that is ok and worth debating. But don’t make up crap that is not true. I am proud of how Coach supports his players especially those that get hurt. And MJ I wish you all the best SAs like you are what make me proud to be a Jacket!! You are now prepared to be successful in life.

Quote MJ "A lot of people don't understand what we're going through, with Tech being so academically challenging and competing at the highest level of college football. If you can get through this, then that's just going to set you up for a lifetime."

SAs like you are what make me proud to be a Jacket!!
 
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