It’s taken the country until the last couple of years to realize what a growing sport pickleball is, but Matthew Hampton knew it nearly a decade ago when he first picked up a pickleball paddle himself and decided to dedicate himself to the growth of the sport. Today, Hampton enters his 9th year at the helm of the program that both he and fellow GCU professor Andre Mooney helped begin. He’s also reaping the fruits of their labor, since during the last two seasons, the Lopes enjoyed their most successful years yet, qualifying for the DUPR Collegiate National Championships for the first time ever.
A native of the Valley of the Sun, Hampton grew up in the East Valley, attending Tempe’s Corona Del Sol High School, and excelling in three different sports there – football, basketball and baseball. Hampton stayed in Tempe during his college days, eventually earning not only a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Arizona State University, but two different master’s degrees: a Master of Education from the University of Phoenix, and then a Master of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological (now known as Gateway) Seminary in California.
Hampton has been dedicated to not only club pickleball at Grand Canyon University, but everything about the mission statement of the institution. Hampton begins his 15th year with the university as an instructor and full-time faculty member in the College of Theology. Hampton has coached one sport or another (baseball, football, basketball, volleyball and soccer in addition to pickleball) for the better part of three decades as well. On the personal side, Hampton is nearing his golden wedding anniversary as he’s been married to his wife, Carol, for nearly 25 years. They are foster care advocates and have adopted seven children.
