It was fitting that Paul Chestnutt and his son, Matthew, were inducted together into the Pensacola (Florida) Sports Hall of Fame in February 2024. Those who know them know they’re a package deal.

Since 1996, Paul has been a mainstay in the Pensacola sports scene. He served as the play-by-play voice for the Pensacola Pilots semi-professional hockey team until it folded in 2008, then was tabbed to be the voice of the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Ice Flyers when they came to town in 2009. He hosts a local sports talk radio show, covers the New Orleans Saints, the annual Senior Bowl football game, and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins.

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For nearly two decades, his son has been by his side for just about all of it. Their relationship has been strengthened thanks to their shared love of sports and faith in God.

Matty, as he’s affectionately known, has cerebral palsy. He can’t walk or talk, but his impact has been felt by so many. And the love Paul has for his son is undeniable.

Raising a special needs child comes with some substantial challenges, but Paul calls his son “the greatest gift” he’s ever received. Likewise, Matty’s been able to use his life to be a gift to others.

“We try to use our platform to spread the word and try to raise help for special needs to give any type of person some hope,” Paul said.

There’s something about the game of hockey in particular that captures Matty’s attention. When he’s not in his wheelchair, he typically lays on the ground. But when Paul turns a Pittsburgh Penguins game on the television, Matty sits up straight to watch his favorite team.

His body language changes when he’s at an Ice Flyers game as well, and it’s clear to anyone around him how much it means for him to be near the ice. 

“I take him to the games and he sits right next to me,” Paul said. “He’s part of the broadcast now. He takes to the hockey, and I guess he takes after his dad. He can’t walk or talk, but when he sees the movement, left to right, when he’s at the game, he enjoys it. He gets into it.”

Matthew and Paul Chestnutt. (Photo courtesy of Paul Chestnutt)

During the 2010-11 Ice Flyers season, Paul started Matthew Chestnutt Scores! Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization that seeks to raise awareness and money for the special needs community in Pensacola and the Northwest Florida area. The organization also runs the Power Play Pledge Drive, where fans can donate for every Ice Flyers power play goal to support various local special needs organizations.

Through the charity and his involvement with his father’s career, Matty is showing that disabilities don’t have to limit someone’s ability to participate in things they enjoy or make a difference. Paul said that’s especially true of his son’s involvement at their church — Cathedral of Sacred Heart Church in Pensacola, where a banner of a young Matty receiving communion from the bishop is proudly displayed out front.

Each Sunday, Paul posts a photo on social media of Matty at church in hopes of encouraging other parents of special needs children to prioritize taking their children to church. Even for those who can’t speak or walk, “you never know what they’re going to pick up” in the sermon, Paul said.

Matty responds to the music — particularly the bells — and has developed a great relationship with his priest and bishop. They typically sit in the last row because it’s wheelchair accessible, and Matty embraces the priest when he enters the sanctuary, Paul said.

Matty’s condition occasionally leads to him being a bit overstimulated by the music and other surroundings, and he can be loud sometimes. But even if he was quiet, his absence would still be noticed if he’s not in attendance. It’s hard to miss Paul walking Matty to the front of church to receive communion.

“The highlight of my week is taking my son to communion because he is doing something that every normal human being is doing, and that’s receiving the body of Christ,” Paul said.  “The expressions I see when we’re walking back are priceless. He’s touching lives. He’s making a difference. They see a special needs kid with his dad wheeling him down the aisle and receiving communion. Not too many people do that.”

Matty’s journey has reached far and wide, in and around Pensacola and across the country. He’s rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in sports, like NFL stars Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts while helping his dad cover the Senior Bowl.

“We go and he sits right next to me during the radio show, and then we’ll go to a practice,” Paul said. “We’ll go down afterwards on the field and he’s with me interviewing the players and coaches.”

Matthew Chestnutt with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (Photo courtesy of Paul Chestnutt)

One year, one of those coaches was former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien, who also has a special needs son. Paul was able to share a meaningful conversation with O’Brien about their similar journeys raising special needs children.

But perhaps the pinnacle experience for Matty came in March 2023, when he got to attend a Tampa Bay Lightning game against the Penguins and was invited to go down to the tunnel and meet players, including Penguins star Sidney Crosby. Paul and Matty also joined the broadcast during intermission.

They’ve also been interviewed by the NHL Network, and are now enshrined in their local sports Hall of Fame, next to names like former NFL stars Derrick Brooks and Emmitt Smith, track and field star Justin Gatlin, MLB player Don Sutton, and former manager Buck Showalter.

Standing next to his son on stage, Paul used his induction speech to share his son’s story and encourage others with special needs. He talked about how God can use anyone for a specific purpose, regardless of their physical makeup — that a disability is no match for the power of God.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in the place,” Paul said. “He can’t walk and he can’t talk, but he was talking pretty strong. He was being heard pretty loud and clear on that night.”

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