By GAVIN MENDOZA, Senior Reporter
Not many people can say they are as passionate about their hometown professional sports teams as Matthew Bickford.
Born and raised in Braintree, Massachusetts, Bickford became a Boston sports fan at an early age. Specifically, he was a supporter of the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and the Boston Red Sox.
His favorite Boston sports team moment was the Super Bowl 51 comeback by the Patriots when they were down 28-3.
“The emotional rollercoaster I went through that night was unbelievable,” Bickford said.
Sports have always been a large part of Bickford’s life, but baseball is his one true love. He was a player here at Northwestern, and after graduating, he stayed at Northwestern and became a graduate assistant. Now, he’s an assistant coach.
“I like to be around the game of baseball,” Bickford said. “I like to give back … and do the same thing that my coaches did for me.”
Bickford said his passion for coaching and his desire to help players stems from a coach who influenced him in Massachusetts. Coach Jay Shnable, who was Bickford’s pitching coach in high school, influenced him the most, Bickford said. He remembers how Shnable would pick him up at 5 and 6 a.m. to work out and work on his pitching skills.
“He would just do it because he wanted to help me and help others get better on a daily basis,” he said.
Bickford takes this mentality into his coaching, he said. His players say this makes him a good coach.
Bickford’s childhood friend, Scott Creedon, said Bickford is honest and straightforward with players. Creedon is a pitcher at Northwestern and plays under Bickford, but he also grew up with Bickford because their parents were close friends.
“He is not someone that is going to beat around the bush when you ask him for help, and you can see that when you are on the field,” Creedon said. “He is not going to tell you what you want to hear, but always what he thinks will benefit you the most. Sometimes, people may not like that because people cannot handle the truth, so it can be a strength and a weakness.”
ALVA VERSUS BOSTON
Bickford’s friendliness and manner of speaking to others is the result of moving to Alva, Creedon said. At home, though, Bickford is less outgoing, he said.
This may be no surprise to people who are close to him, however, because Bickford himself said he prefers Alva over Massachusetts. His girlfriend, Nicole Donk, said Bickford has found a great home here in Alva and thinks it brings out the best in him.
“The people and the small-town community feel are something that is lacking back home is Massachusetts,” Bickford said.
In Alva, everyone knows everyone, and it makes for a more pleasant and friendly way of living, he said.
“It took me a little bit to get used to it,” Bickford said.
Bickford said he would not go back to live in Boston.
“There is too much going on, and it is just too expensive,” he said. “The relationships with the people here are also a great reason to stay.”
OFF THE FIELD
Bickford is an honest, genuine and caring person, Garrett Thompson said.
“In general, he is a fun guy to be around,” Thompson said. “And [I’m] not saying it is a bad thing, but he kind of picks on people, but it is in a fun sort of way.”
Thompson and Bickford lived together after Bickford graduated. Thompson was in his second year of being an athletic trainer at Northwestern.
Bickford and his friends love baseball and sports in general, Bickford said. He is able to make connections with people he’s played with, coached or otherwise shared the field with. Other than baseball, he also loves animals.
Casey Guinty, the head pitching coach for Northwestern’s baseball team, shared a story highlighting Bickford’s kindness and care for animals. Bickford once took an injured cat he found to the veterinary clinic. He also has two rescue pets, Guinty said.
Guinty said this shows how much of a caring person Bickford is.
A HUMBLE LIFESTYLE
Bickford’s peers say is he is humble and will not tell you how good of a player he really was. He had a game-changing change-up, and he was proud to use it during his freshman year, when he started after a teammate died.
“I took a lot of pride in being the guy that went out there and pitched the day after he passed,” Bickford said. “Pitching in his memory, that is probably my greatest moment as a player.”
Away from the game of baseball, Bickford is a proud uncle and godfather. He said he takes pride in receiving his degree.
He remembers how challening it was for him to adapt to the small town “feel” of Alva after moving from Boston. Now, he looks back and is happy with his decision, he said.
“I did not know what to expect when I first moved down here, but … the guys on the team made it a lot easier to become accustomed to it,” Bickford said.
Making friends outside of baseball also helped him.
A HELPFUL SENSE OF HUMOR
Bickford has a mild form of Tourette’s, and he has only one kidney, he said. He’s had to deal with these issues throughout his life. But as he’s grown older, he has learned to joke about them.
“I was sitting in the van one time watching TikTok,” Bickford said. “After that, my nickname became ‘TikTok,’ partly because of my Tourette’s and partly because I was watching TikTok, but I thought it was hilarious.”
Bickford is glad he can joke around and be light-hearted, he said. His sense of humor helps make him a better coach, and it helps him work with and relate to others.
He said he hopes to keep building up his coaching career and helping as many players as he can.
“One day, I hope to be a pitching coach and then possibly a head coach,” Bickford said.
Building athletes into better competitors, while also preparing them for the real world after their athletics careers, is important to him, he said.
As long as he has baseball, family and friends, Bickford said he’ll be happy.
“I’ve been playing baseball since I was 5,” he said. “I haven’t pictured myself doing anything else outside of the game.”
