Behind panes of shiny glass and his cozy desk, Matt Rush often finds himself juggling an assembly of tasks as a Central Bank merchant specialist.
From multi-million dollar corporations to food trucks, Rush provides services to a spectrum of accounts at his south Springfield branch. His ability to troubleshoot is about as valuable as his working knowledge of business credit and cash management.
By around 6 p.m., the 28-year-old shows off his versatility in a much different setting.
Rush is among the primary offensive cogs for the Ozarks Lunkers, Springfield's new indoor professional football team that calls the recently christened Wilson Logistics Arena home. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound speedster does a little bit of everything in the brand of high-speed, pass-happy, six-on-six football on a 50-yard field in The Arena League, a first-year operation led by NFL Hall of Fame inductee Tim Brown.
Half a mile from Hillcrest High School, where Rush's feet and arm helped vault the Hornets a decade ago, he continues to play the game he loves.
“It's an honor to do it right here in Springfield,” said Rush, who went on to play defensive back and kick returner during his five-year tenure at Missouri State. “I had a couple opportunities (to play professionally elsewhere), but it didn't feel right to leave this area. But when the Lunkers came about I thought this makes too much sense - I get to be a professional football player and do it in my backyard.”
The Lunkers (3-2) host the Kansas City Goats (4-1) in a regular season home finale at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Rush's wife, Mercy Hospital director of marketing Paige Rush, and their eight-week old baby Mylan will be among the throng of bass logo-clad supporters in attendance.
Like many of his professional football peers competing in a league that doesn't include the NFL shield, Rush balances the rigors living as an employee, father, husband, and football player. Day jobs are not uncommon in even the higher rungs of pro ball, including the Canadian Football League and resurgent XFL, so Rush is appreciative of his allotted game checks that put some extra cash in his pocket.
“It feels good to know that I'm getting paid to do something that I've wanted to get paid to do, regardless of the amount,” Rush said.
Work, life, Lunkers football balance
His alarm clock is set for 6:30 a.m., but the newest addition to the Rush family has been known to throw a wrench in sleep schedules.
Parental duties take precedence at the Rush's south Springfield residence, but when Matt Rush isn't tending to his baby or helping his wife in the wee hours, he's cherishing each hour of rest he can get before putting in a Monday-Friday, 9-5 shift at Central Bank.
With a face that's been on Lunkers' advertisements and efforts that have consistently made local news — Rush leads the The Arena League in total rushing yards (189) and is third in total touchdowns (10) — coworkers will dole out some occasional friendly ribbing.
“Someone at work will say ‘Hey, I saw you on the news today,'” Rush said. “It's fun. I try to stay out of the spotlight, but that's fun.”
After an early-evening dinner and a change out of his business casual attire, Rush is either in a weight room or has already buckled his chinstrap in preparation for this week's opponent. The four-team Arena League is mostly regional, consisting of the Lunkers, Kansas City Goats, Iowa Woo, and Duluth (Minnesota) Harbor Monsters, so the travel schedule isn't as demanding as similar leagues, making things significantly easier on his day job and young family.
It's not only been an ideal fit for Rush, but for his 33-year-old head coach, former Fair Grove and Evangel standout Cam Bruffett.
Bruffett, who had a stint as a player in the once-thriving Arena Football League, understands the demands better than most.
“His high-level character, work ethic and skill set, you couldn't ask for a better football player. If you had a draft for this (brand of professional football), he'd probably go No. 1 overall, in my opinion,” Bruffett said. “We literally ask him to run routes, throw the ball, run the ball, and he can switch to the defensive side. We'd look completely different without him.”
“I've followed him since his days at Hillcrest High School, and he's always been the most athletic guy on the field.”
Matt Rush still living a dream
Since the team's 2023 inception, the Lunkers have assembled a 25-man squad composed mostly of players with southwest Missouri ties.
Players from Missouri State, Evangel University, Southwest Baptist and area other colleges dot the roster, but players from as far as the University of Louisville are also trying their hand at the new, unconventional brand of indoor football with its own unique set of rules.
Many hope to use this experience to vault themselves to a higher level. Others are completely content with their current situation and hope to play as long as their bodies allow.
Rush is among the latter.
“Three years ago, I would have tried to use this to go bigger,” he said.
“But here I got a great job, a great support system, my wife has a great job and we just had our first child... I don't know if that makes sense for me anymore to try and move up.”
Other leagues don't cater to Rush's particular strengths the way The Arena Football League, he said.
“(This style of arena football) plays into the way I play; I run around a lot. I'm like a little gnat on the football field, and this plays into that. It helps that I can throw it a little, too.”
Culture is also important to Rush. Many of his teammates, including his coach Bruffett and Lunkers general manager Caleb Scott played together on a Springfield semi-professional football team dubbed the Queen City Asylum.
The relationships forged on the Asylum helped cultivate trust and familiarity in a higher, paying tier of football with the Lunkers, owned by local businessman Mark Burgess.
“Why not keep going until I can't?” Rush said. “I am having just as much fun as I had in high school, probably more.”
