Mataya won multiple titles in his career and in 1989 became a member of the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame.

[1][2] In 1982, Mataya wed Ewa Svensson, of Sweden (who was later inducted into Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame as Ewa Laurance in 2004), forming pool's first "power couple".

In 1991, he was seen leaving Las Vegas in a brand-new Cadillac, courtesy of the Sahara Casino.

[4] In that same year Snap Magazine published an "...in-depth interview with Mataya, who offered many tips for young players and talked about his vision for the future of the sport.

"To add more color to an already colorful show, Mataya was selected as a co-commentator with Danny Diliberto at the 2004 Derby City Classic Nine-ball Ring Game in Louisville, Kentucky, the first ring game produced for broadcast.