The playbook for love! Matthew Stafford and wife Kelly Stafford’s romance started in college — and four kids later, they are still going strong.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback fell for his wife in the mid-2000s while playing football for the University of Georgia. At the time, Kelly was a cheerleader for the college.
Nearly two years after tying the knot in April 2015, the “Morning After” podcast host couldn’t help but gush over her husband as they prepared to become first-time parents.
“I truly have the best partner in life. For those of you who know him personally, [you] know what such an amazing man he is .. but I am the only one lucky enough to know what an incredible husband he is,” she wrote via Instagram in March 2017. “We have had so many good years, but I know there are even better ones ahead. I can’t believe the official countdown is on for our two little girls to arrive, you’re gonna make one sexy dad!!”
Kelly added: “But also a good example for what these girls should expect from their future significant others. I just can’t wait to start this adventure with you.”
The duo welcomed their twin girls, Sawyer and Chandler, later that month. They have since added two more daughters, Hunter and Tyler, to their brood in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
Over the years, Kelly has reflected on her journey with Matthew, especially when celebrating their anniversary.
“I believe God placed us at the University of Georgia. You could have gone anywhere to school and yet you picked there … and it was a reach for me to get in, but by some miracle, I did. He wanted us to meet and see where it took us,” she wrote via social media in April 2018. “Now look … over 10 years later and today, 3 years of marriage … and still, each day, you remind me why you are so easy to love. Thank you for picking me to do life with.”
The pair’s relationship was tested in January 2019 when Kelly was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, which she later underwent surgery to remove. One month into her recovery, the mother of four gave her husband a shout-out for helping her through all the ups and downs.
“Thank you, Matthew. Thank you for taking care of me and our family and always putting us first. Thank you for always being my rock and keeping me at ease during the toughest time of my life,” she wrote via Instagram in May 2019. “I’m lucky to know you and the man you are … but mostly, I’m lucky you chose me to do life with. Thank you.”
The former Detroit Lions quarterback — who played for the team from 2009 to 2020 before being traded to L.A. in early 2021 — spoke out in October 2021 about his wife’s strength through the brain tumor and beyond.
“It was a crazy process, but she attacked it like she always does and now look at her,” he said during NFL Film Presents: Stafford Strong. “The coolest thing for me is, they were too young to understand what was going on, but our daughters are going to have something incredible to look back on. There’s going to be times in their lives that things aren’t going to be easy and they’re going to be tough. To be able to look really close to them, look at their mom and go, ‘Look what she did, look what she was able to overcome.’ It’s something that I know will be valuable in their life.”
Scroll down to see the Staffords’ sweetest relationship moments through the years:
The pair met in college while attending the University of Georgia. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
Nearly two years after they first saw each other, the duo went on their first date. They were “goin’ steady” by November of that year. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
“Don't think I could be any happier!! #icecream,” Kelly wrote via Instagram, debuting her engagement ring while eating ice cream with her new fiancé. The athlete proposed on March 30. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
The lovebirds tied the knot on April 4 after one year of being engaged. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
The pair jetted off to New Zealand and Fiji for their honeymoon. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
“So grateful to have explored Italy with my best friend. #Venice,” Kelly captioned an Instagram photo of the twosome in Italy. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
Kelly gave her husband a big kiss in celebration of his 100th NFL win with the Lions. “Super proud of this man and the team!” she wrote via social media. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
The athlete welcomed twin daughters Sawyer and Chandler with his wife on March 31. AP/Shutterstock
The couple picked out their first Christmas tree as a family of four. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
The former college cheerleader native gave birth to the pair’s third daughter, Hunter, on August 16. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
Kelly was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor called acoustic neuroma and underwent surgery to remove the tumor three months later. Her April 2019 surgery was a success, but she had to relearn how to move her body again. "I could not have done it without this man next to me but also without all the support of the people that are close to us. We had parents here, siblings here, my mom was here for a long time. Our nanny is exceptional. I trust her more with my kids than I trust myself," Kelly told Detroit’s’ WDIV-TV in September of that year. "I told Matthew, I think about those people who go through this and don't have these privileges that we have and how they heal. They have to be complete rock stars because I truly don't know how I would have done it without these people." Rick Osentoski/AP/Shutterstock
The husband-and-wife duo welcomed their fourth child, daughter Tyler, on June 26. “Thank you for all of the support. Love, us and our girl squad,” Kelly wrote via social media after they brought their baby girl home. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
“I’d choose you every time. Every. Damn. time. Let this crazy adventure begin,” Kelly wrote alongside a series of photos of the pair in Mexico after her news broke that her husband was traded to the Rams. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
Matthew celebrated his first game as an L.A. Ram with a big hug from his wife. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
The twosome explored the California coast without their kids during Matthew’s bye week. Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
Kelly came to her man’s defense after his former Lions teammate Ndamukong Suh accused him of kicking him during the Rams game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 25. During the game, the Suh was flagged with taunting Matthew after he was seen by officials pointing his finger in the quarterback’s face. “I asked Matthew last night [about the altercation] and he was like, ‘Honestly, I don’t really know what happened. I didn’t really know who tackled me. But I remember getting put to the ground and someone on me and got him off me to try to get to the next play, and then Suh was in my face telling me he was going to f--- me up,’” Kelly said on her “The Morning After with Kelly Stafford” podcast. While Matthew seemingly let the incident go after the beating the Bucs, Kelly was upset on her husband’s behalf. “I'm trying to give some grace here and not get very upset about the massive man threatening my husband. But at the same time, are you kidding? What are you doing?” she said. “It's water under the bridge now, Matthew could care less.” Jed Jacobsohn/AP/Shutterstock
“You did it. That team did it,” Kelly wrote via Instagram after the Rams' NFC Championship win. “Your daughters and I are so grateful to be able to witness it and cheer you on. One more game baby!” Courtesy of Kelly Stafford/Instagram
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