"Chase recognized that being part of the Sewanee football community meant he was joining an illustrious band of brothers spanning back over a century."
Sewanee wasn’t the only campus Dr. Matt Neal, C’04, considered during his college search, but, he admits, no other school stood a real chance. Once Matt’s brother, Charles T. “Chase” Neal IV, C’02, enrolled on the Mountain, it was a done deal. “When you go and visit your older sibling at a college, you’re just sold—hook, line, and sinker,” Matt says. Though the brothers had different academic interests and hung out with separate sets of friends, they both pledged Alpha Tau Omega, and they bonded as athletes on Sewanee’s football team. “For Chase, playing football at Sewanee was unbelievably fun, and it made him happy,” Matt says. “He loved the intensity and physicality of the game.” Tragically, Chase passed away last year—but his legacy on Hardee-McGee Field continues through the Charles T. Neal IV Football Endowment, which Matt recently established in his brother’s memory.
Along with supporting critical football program needs—such as equipment, travel, and coaching—the endowment funds the Charles T. Neal IV Leadership Award, which will be presented annually to the player who most exhibits leadership and fortitude. During Chase’s four-year career as a Sewanee defensive end, he continuously worked to lead by example, Matt says. In 2000, Chase contributed to Sewanee’s landmark Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship victory, and the following year he was selected for the All-SCAC team. He also helped the Tigers earn a four-overtime win against Stillman College, which, Matt says, may be one of the longest games in Sewanee history. “Chase got deathly ill for a couple of weeks afterward,” Matt recalls. “He said, ‘I’ve never been that physically exhausted.’”
Chase’s experiences as a Sewanee student-athlete instilled confidence and cultivated character traits that enhanced his career trajectory, Matt says. After earning a B.A. in politics, Chase held a number of roles in the healthcare industry, and most recently he was co-founder, chairman, and CEO of SurgNet Health Partners Inc., a surgery center development and management company located in Nashville. Matt, who majored in biology and is a neurosurgeon in Charleston, South Carolina, says his brother especially enjoyed politics courses taught by current Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen, C’76, P’14, P’17. Football, though, was “almost like a full-time job.”
Fortunately, both Chase and Matt knew how to juggle demanding schedules by the time they reached Sewanee. Growing up in Nashville, they attended Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA), where, Matt says, they learned self-discipline while balancing football and classwork. They also gained a solid introduction to Sewanee—at the time, MBA was headed by a University alumnus, Brad Gioia, C’76, H’17. Matt says he and Chase were drawn to Sewanee’s small class sizes and strong sense of community.
Sewanee’s solid pre-health curriculum and medical school acceptance rate also appealed to Matt, who anticipated pursuing a career in medicine. “My uncle was a general surgeon, and I always liked hearing his stories,” he says, noting that multiple family members work in healthcare-related fields. During his sophomore year at Sewanee, Matt secured a volunteer position in the emergency room of Winchester’s Southern Tennessee Medical Center (now Southern Tennessee Regional Health System) by making a cold call. “They said, ‘Come on down, we’ll make a volunteer badge for you.’” In the classroom, Matt says, he particularly connected with Visiting Professor of Biology Karen McGlothlin and Professor of Biology John Palisano. “They were very personable and approachable, and their expectations were very clear.”
Though injuries prevented Matt from participating in Sewanee football past his sophomore year, he says sharing the field with Chase made the experience deeply memorable. The brothers were coached by John Windham and traveled across the South together for games. In 2001, Chase fractured his hand during a practice, but “he put a boxing glove on it, wrapped it, and continued playing,” Matt says. “He never missed a game.” Chase’s toughness earned the respect of his teammates. “He didn’t want to let people down,” Matt says. “He loved his teammates and coaches. He loved the equipment guys. He had very close relationships with, really, everybody associated with the football program.”
Senior Advancement Officer John Whaling, C’07, who worked with Matt and Director of Athletics John Shackelford to set up the endowment and award, says Matt’s generosity honors Chase’s memory in perpetuity while strengthening Sewanee as a whole. “By making an endowed gift, Matt has elevated every part of the University—our football program will benefit significantly, but boosting the endowment also enables greater innovation and expanded student support on a campus-wide scale,” Whaling says. “This contribution is an amazing tribute to an alumnus who was clearly well-loved and a real role model.”
Sewanee’s football field was a classroom for Chase, Matt says, providing lessons in training, preparation, self-sacrifice, and resilience. It was also a cord, connecting the Neals to past generations of student-athletes. “Chase recognized that being part of the Sewanee football community meant he was joining an illustrious band of brothers spanning back over a century.” For Matt, Sewanee football delivered these benefits, plus an irreplaceable opportunity. “Getting to play college football with your brother is pretty special,” he says. “I tell people it’s one of the more special things in my life.”
