Maatila St. Florian

My name is Clay Mize. My roots run deep in the southern soil. We trace our ancestors back to the American colonist, who eventually mixed our blood with native Cherokees creating a family with no sense of being immigrants.

We were in the middle of the Revolution and participated on both sides of the Civil War, and in WWI and II. The closest my family comes to fame is through my great-grandfather Billy Mize. He was Uncle Billy to Ty Cobb and Johnny Mize both Hall of Famers with the New York Yankees.

My father was born in log cabin in the hills of North Alabama. Growing up on a farm, my family taught me learning to love your work was important. By age seven I already understood the meaning of a long row to hoe.

Two events shaped my early life. Playing football and going to the University of Alabama. My real education came less from the classroom and more from real life people.

In the early years, in addition to the family farm, I worked as a furniture assembler, lifeguard, paper boy, waiter, cookie salesman, and oil field roustabout. The middle years I worked as an owner and CEO of an insurance brokerage firm, University teacher, and talk show host. In my latest phase my work is to manage real estate investments, B&B owner, author, speaker and coach.

Coaching kids to play tennis is what I most enjoy these days.