Sports
Matt Gunter..... a Tiger to Remember
Sunday, 05 August 2012 by David Tuma
Matt Gunter played for the Tigers football team back in the fall of 2000 and graduated in 2001. Gunter played noseguard for Belton and went on to attend Oklahoma University and eventually graduated from Lubbock Christian. He received his degree in finance and run his own investment firm Edward D. Jones and has his offices in downtown Belton.
After graduating college he lived in Boston for a while and saw a different culture and climate than Texas. "It was a completely different lifestyle and it was very cold. I didn't think it was a good place to raise a family. I woke up one morning and there had been 22 inches of snow fall overnight," said Gunter.
When you talk to him it is clear that football had a major impact on his life and the way he conducts himself. "I met my wife Laci at Doug McCarty's wedding. I was living in Boston and she was from Missouri going to school in Arkansas. We started dating long distance and ended up talking every day. We were married and moved to Texas in 2007," said Gunter. McCarty played on the offensive line for the Tigers.
Gunter worked for his father for 18 months before opening his own office in 2009. "Those were some tough times. A lot of my first clients were dealing with a 40 percent down market. It was a very tough time to open the office. The market bottomed out in March of that year. There is satisfaction helping people and I like that part of the business. To play football you have to work together with others. There is just so many parallels between football and life. You learn the values of life on a football field and most people don't realize that. The friendships you make with your fellow players are different,' said Gunter.
"It is a tough physical sport. I lived in the weight room. Jeff Parker worked out but his work out was bailing hay,'" said Gunter.
The things he remembers about his senior season still remain with him. "That Westlake game that we were still in it late was special. They made the finals and only Cedric Benson had more yards on them than what Jeff Holman ran against them. We played against Houston Street and Earl Campbell's son. Crushing Huntsville at Kyle Field in the first round of the playoffs was special. The last game I ever played was there. Beating Cedar Park on the road against that great running back and holding him to 40-yards was special," said Gunter. (Quinton Smith-Rice and 30-yards)
He has kept up with the 3changing of football over the past 10-12 years and jumped at the chance to do the interview at the Belton Athletics building. "The facility is phenomenal. This is better than a lot of colleges. I've seen some college weight rooms and unless they have changed, we are better. It is a good reflection of the community and shows how we support our kids. The weight room is something I thought I would never see here. If you play football and if you are going to do it well you spend hours in the weight room. It gives you that edge when you play on the line. People that never played don't understand that. My wife asked me the other day about my bad shoulder and knee that give me a problem if I could go back and not play to not have that pain. I told her no way would I do that," said Gunter.
He was visibly moved by what the kids have in terms of weights and the professionalism of the building.
"Belton sells tickets even when the team doesn't do as well. They always travel on the road. I like what I see going on. Kids are getting involved at a young age and the offense and defense is the same from seventh grade through varsity.
Belton is a special place, I still talk to my old coaches and ex-players from my team. The way Belton is heading they will win a state championship one day, and it will be more than one," said Gunter.
Laci and Matt have two children Owen 3 and Addison 6 months.
