Matthew Stafford Parents: Meet John and Margaret Stafford, the Family Behind the Super Bowl Champion

Matthew Stafford was born to John Stafford and Margaret Stafford on February 7, 1988, in Tampa, Florida. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback and Super Bowl LVI champion was raised alongside his younger sister, Page, in a family that placed athletics and support at its center. His parents divorced while he was in high school, but they remained on friendly terms and continued to be a constant presence in his career.

John Stafford: The Swimming Champion Father

John Stafford was an athlete in his own right, though his sport was swimming rather than football. He swam at Florida State University before embarking on a coaching career.

John served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Georgia, then as head coach at The Bolles School from 1972 to 1976. He returned to Florida State as the head men’s swimming coach from 1977 to 1983, where his teams compiled a 30-16 record. He left coaching in 1982 to enter the insurance business in Tampa.

In 2021, John suffered a heart attack while swimming alone in his pool. After that experience, he joined a masters swim team so someone could watch over him during training. He went on to win a US Masters national title in the 1000-yard freestyle in 2023, with Matthew counting laps for him during the race.

Matthew has spoken about his father’s calm presence during his career. When the younger Stafford was selected first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft amid loud boos from the crowd, John winced momentarily before recovering and documenting the moment with his digital camera. “Matthew has always been very mature. He understands the pressures that are associated with it,” John said at the time.

Margaret Stafford: The Supportive Mother

Margaret Stafford does not have an athletic background, but she has been a constant presence at her son’s games throughout his career. She worked in sales and was involved with a designer magazine in Dallas for years.

Margaret has spoken about her approach to parenting an athlete. “You do parent different kids differently from what their needs are or what they excel at,” she said on the Morning After with Kelly Stafford podcast. “I wanted to make sure he was always loving it [football] and having fun because there’s nothing more miserable than being on a field and seeing a child who doesn’t want to be there.”

She recalled the emotional experience of watching Matthew’s 2011 shoulder surgery, during which Dr. James Andrews inserted a metal rod into his shoulder. A trainer was sent from the Detroit Lions to observe the procedure, standing on a box over Matthew’s head. “The whole setup was like, ‘Oh, this is not my baby.’ It’s not like when you take your child to a pediatrician,” Margaret said, describing how the moment made her feel like she was watching a piece of machinery being fixed.

Margaret also admitted she was especially nervous during the Rams’ 2021 playoff run because of Matthew’s lack of postseason success in Detroit. “We were really nervous the first playoff game in L.A. Because there hadn’t been a playoff win in Detroit, and that was big news,” she said.

The Divorce and Its Impact

John and Margaret divorced while Matthew was in high school. The split became a topic of national conversation in 2009 when a San Francisco 49ers team psychologist questioned Matthew about it during the NFL Scouting Combine. The psychologist suggested Matthew might have “unfinished business” in coping with the divorce.

Matthew, who had explained the psychological adjustments he made as a teenager, was surprised by the line of questioning. He joked to Sports Illustrated: “I felt like, I wonder how much I’m being charged per hour for this?”

Despite the divorce, both parents remained supportive of Matthew’s football journey. Margaret focused on keeping him grounded. As she explained in an interview, the goal was to teach him “to be confident, but not feel entitled.”

A Family That Stays Close

Matthew has four daughters with his wife, Kelly Stafford: twins Sawyer and Chandler, Hunter, and Tyler. His parents have remained involved in his life and the lives of their grandchildren.

John and Margaret have both been spotted supporting Matthew at games and events throughout his career, including his Super Bowl LVI victory with the Rams in 2022. Their presence has been a constant through his journey from Highland Park High School in Texas to the University of Georgia, to the Detroit Lions, and eventually to a championship with the Rams.