He was a high school and junior college baseball coach, as well as a part-time scout for the Kansas City Royals (1971–74) and Philadelphia Phillies (1974–77).

Notable members of the high school team he coached in Cincinnati Iowa include Michael Baughman.

He then became a minor league manager in the Kansas City organization, with posts in Charleston (1981), Ft. Myers (1982–83), Memphis (1984) and Eugene (1987).

Mathews joined the Rockies in the summer of 1992 as the pitching coach at Mesa of the Arizona Rookie League.

During a ceremony at city hall on Friday morning, November 9, 2007, Mayor Greg Fenton proclaimed “Rick Mathews Day” in Centerville.