People of McMaster celebrates the incredible people who help make McMaster a great place to work, learn, teach and conduct research. Click here for the rest of the series. 

Matt Vonk doesn’t want to be known as the football guy. 

Sure, he had a storied football career that included a career in the Canadian Football League, but when you ask him what he wants to be known for, his answer is simple: An ambitious and proactive leader. But more than that, he also wants to be known as someone who knows the answers to your questions, who tackles difficult challenges head-on, and who makes people feel supported and heard.   

As the Academic Department Manager (ADM) of the largest department in the Faculty of Engineering, his time as a football player informs his work more than you might think. As an offensive lineman, Matt put his body on the line to protect the quarterback. Now, in his role as ADM, he’s protecting the department by implementing meaningful change, prioritizing teamwork and improving engagement within CAS.  

He’s also particularly focused on maintaining community within the department by celebrating the efforts of faculty and staff with a “Cheers!-We-got-through-another-year” social.  

His dedication to teamwork even goes beyond his departmental commitments. For the past three years, Matt has rallied members across the Faculty to create a Mac Eng team for McMaster’s annual United Way Bus Pull. Last year the team came out with the Fastest Pull award, and while their impressive 13.1 second time did not come out on top this year, their redemption story begins now. 

Most people at McMaster know you as the department manager in Computing and Software. They may not know you played professional football in the CFL. Tell us about that part of your life—and how you ended up at McMaster. 

Football was a huge part of my life growing up and eventually took me to the CFL after graduating from the University of Waterloo with a BSc in Kinesiology in 2013. While playing professionally, I continued my education and completed an MSc in Kinesiology with a focus on neuroscience in 2016, which taught me the value of balancing long-term goals with demanding daily commitments. The biggest challenge was figuring out who I wanted to be after football. A knee injury and surgery forced my pre-mature retirement from the CFL in 2018 and thus a change in identity. Not knowing where else to turn, I immediately stayed with football and volunteered to help coach the offensive line for the McMaster Marauders varsity football program (coached for 5 years before stopping in 2022 due to my growing family). Through some connections, I was able to secure my first full-time roll at McMaster as a Research Assistant and gradually worked my way through several roles to become an Academic Department Manager within the Faculty of Engineering. This journey has ultimately led me to a career I never would have imagined when I was lining up on a CFL field. 

Professional football and university administration might seem like two very different worlds. Are they more alike than people might think?  

Much more alike than people think. In football, everyone sees the game on Saturday/Sunday, but they do not see the months of preparation, planning, and teamwork that make success possible. Academic administration is similar. Students see classes and convocation, but behind the scenes there are countless people working together to solve problems, support growth, and keep everything moving forward. 

For someone who has never seen behind the scenes of an academic department, what does your job involve—and what might surprise people about it?  

My role touches almost every aspect of the department, from budgeting and operations to strategic planning, faculty support, staff development, and student success initiatives. What surprises people most is how much decision-making is driven by data and long-term planning. My research background has been incredibly valuable because it taught me how to work with large datasets, identify patterns, understand the story the data is telling, and develop solutions to complex problems. 

You spent years being part of a football team. What does being part of a team mean to you now?  

Team means helping people succeed. As a player, my job was often to do the work that helped someone else have success, and I carry that mindset into my professional life today. Whether it is football or academia, the best teams are made up of people who genuinely want each other to succeed – and we definitely have that in CAS.    

You’ve become a driving force behind the CAS team in McMaster’s United Way bus pull. How did that start, and why has it become something you keep coming back to?  

The bus pull combines two things I enjoy: teamwork and community involvement. The event gives people an opportunity to step away from their day-to-day responsibilities, work together toward a fun challenge, and support an important cause at the same time. It reminds me a little bit of being back in a locker room with a shared goal of everyone pulling in the same direction – pun intended! 

You’ve had two careers that most people would never put together. What has football taught you that you still carry with you today?  

Football taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of continuous growth. Transitioning away from a professional sports career was one of the most difficult pivots of my life because so much of my identity had been tied to being an athlete (high school, university, and professional levels). Looking back, earning my MSc while playing professionally, publishing my first first-author research paper in 2019, building a career at McMaster, and more recently receiving my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in July 2026 all stem from the same lesson: meaningful accomplishments come from years of consistent effort rather than overnight success.