Scott Zolak
Encyclopedia
Scott David Zolak is a former American football
quarterback
who played in the National Football League
(NFL) for nine seasons. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games for the New England Patriots
and Miami Dolphins
, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8.
A graduate of Ringgold High School
and the University of Maryland
, Zolak was selected 84th in the 1991
NFL Draft
by the New England Patriots. He did not play in 1991, but started a few games in 1992 and had his most productive season statistically. When Drew Bledsoe
was drafted in 1993, Zolak became his backup for the next six seasons. He appeared as a replacement for Bledsoe when he was hurt, but only started three games during this time. He was released at the end of the 1998 season, and signed with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in 1999, playing in one game for Miami before retiring. After his retirement, he became a sportscaster and football analyst in the New England area.
. As a child, he acted as the waterboy for the football team at Ringgold High School
in Monongahela, Pennsylvania
, where his father, Paul, worked as head coach and athletic director
. Future NFL quarterback Joe Montana
played for Ringgold during this time and gave Zolak a football, which he later rubbed for good luck before every game. When Zolak attended Ringgold High School himself, he was the team's starting
quarterback and punter, and lettered four times. Zolak also played on the Ringgold basketball team as a forward, and was a four-time letterman in that sport as well. As a result of his football performance, he was invited to participate in the Big 33 Football Classic
, which featured the top high school football players in Pennsylvania.
at the University of Maryland
. He sat out his freshmen year, and became the third-string quarterback behind Dan Henning and Neil O'Donnell
after two quarterbacks transferred. By the end of his sophomore season, Zolak was challenging O'Donnell for the starting job after Henning graduated. As his junior year began, in the summer of 1988, offensive coordinator Bob Valesente
said that Zolak was making tremendous strides as a quarterback, but O'Donnell was the starting quarterback that year. Zolak's first collegiate appearance came against West Virginia
. He completed
four of six passes
for 28 yards, but had an interception returned for a touchdown
by Bo Orlando
in a 55–24 loss. He appeared in four games for Maryland that season.
Zolak was again the backup behind O'Donnell in 1989. He played in eight games, completing 33 of 69 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns. In 1990, after O'Donnell graduated and began his NFL career, Zolak became the starter for Maryland, and head coach Joe Krivak had high hopes for him heading into the season. In his first start as a senior, Zolak completed a school record 28 passes in 46 attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard pass to Gene Thomas with 61 seconds left that gave Maryland the win against , 20–13. The following week, he once more featured in a dramatic conclusion, throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass to Gene Thomas with 2:27 left to beat 25th ranked , 14–10. However, he was struggling in other aspects of his game. In an October game against Georgia Tech
, Zolak was sacked
10 times. In four games, he had been sacked 23 times and had a pass intercepted 12 times. By the end of the season, as Maryland was preparing to face in the , he had thrown 225 completed passes in 418 attempts for 2,589 yards and 10 touchdowns. The teams tied, 34–34, in Zolak's final collegiate appearance. At the time of his graduation, he ranked fifth in school history with 270 pass completions, seventh with 3,124 career passing yards, and second with 2,589 passing yards in a season. He was also named Atlantic Coast Conference
Offensive Player of the Week four times.
NFL Draft
, Zolak was selected by the New England Patriots
. Scouting reports noted that his size and arm strength were great for the NFL, though there were concerns about his accuracy. Upon drafting him, Patriots Vice President of Player Operations Joe Mendes agreed that his size and arm would translate to the NFL, and he was not worried about any accuracy issues. His drafting led to a shakeup with the Patriots' current quarterbacks, as Marc Wilson announced his retirement and longtime starting quarterback Steve Grogan
was released. Zolak agreed on a contract with the Patriots in July, and was the second-to-last person to hold out after Leonard Russell
. Zolak spent the 1991 season
as the third-string quarterback, behind Hugh Millen
and Tom Hodson, and did not take the field.
At the start of the 1992 season
, Zolak also looked unlikely to appear, being behind Hodson and Millen on the depth chart
. Millen started the first five games before being injured, and then Hodson became the starter. In early November, Zolak made his professional debut in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints
. Relieving Hodson, he completed five of nine passes and threw an interception as the Patriots lost, 31–14. The next week, Zolak made his first career start when the still winless Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts
. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Patriots' first win of the season, 37–34. As a result of his performance, he was named the American Football Conference
(AFC) Player of the Week. The next week, Zolak led his team to their second victory of the season against the New York Jets
. He completed seven of 16 passes for 102 yards, getting help from Jon Vaughn
who had 110 rushing yards, and the Patriots won, 24–3. However, the following week's performance against the Atlanta Falcons
was less impressive. He completed nine of 16 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions in the Patriots' losing effort, and he said it felt like he was "on a desert island by myself." After Zolak's performance against Atlanta, he lost the starting job, and Millen again filled that role. However, Millen suffered a shoulder injury against the Colts, and after Zolak played part of the game against Indianapolis, he again became the starter for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs
. Zolak injured his ankle at the end of the third quarter, making the appearance against Kansas City his last for the season as Jeff Carlson took over quarterbacking duties. Zolak finished the season with 52 pass completions in 100 attempts, 561 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 58.8.
In 1993, the Patriots and new head coach Bill Parcells
were looking to improve the quarterback spot on their roster. They signed Scott Secules
, and attempted to sign Steve Beuerlein
, but the latter deal did not happen. They also gave Hugh Millen permission to seek a trade. In April, Millen was traded to the Dallas Cowboys
, and the Patriots chose Drew Bledsoe
with the first pick in the 1993 NFL Draft
. During the offseason, Carlson was released, leaving Secules, Zolak, Bledsoe, and Hodson to compete for the three spots on the roster. By the end of the preseason, Bledsoe had won the starting job and Hodson had been cut, with Secules as the backup and Zolak as the third-string quarterback. Zolak saw playing time in three games in 1993, and threw two incomplete passes. He became a restricted free agent
in the offseason, but re-signed with the Patriots for three years. As Secules was released during preseason, Zolak was set as Bledsoe's backup as the 1994 season began. As was the case in the 1993 season, he did not make a starting appearance, as Bledsoe played the full 16 games, however Zolak did see action in every game, primarily as the holder
for extra point and field goal
attempts. Over the course of the season, he completed five of eight passes for 28 yards in the two games in which he saw time at quarterback. The 1995 season
was similar, with Bledsoe starting and Zolak backing him up. In September, Bledsoe separated his left shoulder in a game and sat out a week to heal, allowing Zolak to make his first start since 1992. On October 1, 1995, Zolak took the field against the Atlanta Falcons, and completed 24 of 45 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown, though the Patriots lost the game, 30–17. Although Bledsoe's doctors wanted him to sit out another week, he refused and played the next week's game against the Denver Broncos
. This again relegated Zolak to the backup position, where he remained for the rest of the season. He finished the season with 28 completed passes in 49 attempts for 282 yards, a touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 80.5.
The 1996 season
began well for Zolak, whose contract was extended through 1998. However, to remain with the Patriots, Zolak took a $250,000 pay cut to work around the salary cap
. While he appeared set to keep his backup job heading into training camp, he faced tough competition from Jay Barker
. While Zolak welcomed the challenge, his status as the backup quarterback began to seem uncertain a few weeks into training camp. By the end of training camp, Barker had been cut, and Zolak's quarterback job was safe. He took the role of emergency quarterback throughout the 1996 season, with Bledsoe taking nearly all the snaps and Tom Tupa
serving as the backup upon his signing. Zolak played in three games, completing one pass for five yards. He saw some playing time in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, but did not play in Super Bowl XXXI
. Parcells ordered Zolak to lose weight, which Zolak did throughout much of the season. The 1997 season was more of the same for Zolak, backing up Bledsoe, though the Patriots did have a new coach in Pete Carroll
. As training camp ended, Zolak gained significantly more playing time during drills and the preseason matchups then he had under Parcells. As the regular season came and went, however, he had minimal playing time. Zolak saw action in four games, completing six of nine passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a quarterback rating of 128.2.
With Zolak coming to the final year of his contract in 1998
, he sat in his usual spot on the depth chart, in between starter Bledsoe and third stringer Tupa. He saw playing time in three games during the first three months of the season in relief of Bledsoe. His most significant appearance during this time came against the Atlanta Falcons on November 8, 1998, where he completed three of ten passes for 33 yards and an interception in a 41–10 loss. Near the end of the month, Bledsoe was sidelined with an injury and was questionable for the final November game. Bledsoe played in three more games, but his injury kept him from playing in the final two, giving Zolak his first starting appearance since 1995. Zolak's first start came against the San Francisco 49ers
on December 20. He completed 14 of 30 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and won the game, 24–21. He faced the New York Jets the following week, completing 14 of 31 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, but lost the game 31–10. Zolak finished the season with his most productive totals since 1992. He played in six games and started two, completed 32 of 75 passes for 371 yards, three touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and had a passer rating of 61.8. Zolak's last appearance for the Patriots occurred in the playoffs, as Bledsoe was still injured, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
. He completed 21 of 44 passes as the Jaguars eliminated the Patriots from playoff contention in a 25–10 loss. He became an unrestricted free agent after the season ended, but was not asked back by the Patriots, ending his tenure there.
. With Vinny Testaverde
considered the starter, Zolak was competing against Ray Lucas
for a backup job. He was the second-string quarterback as training camp began, but his competition increased when the Jets signed Rick Mirer
and left three quarterbacks to battle for two open spots on the team. Two days after acquiring Mirer from the Green Bay Packers
, the Jets released Zolak. In October, Zolak was signed to a one-year deal by the Miami Dolphins
to serve as the backup quarterback behind Damon Huard
and Jim Druckenmiller
. He was later made the backup behind Huard, and made his only appearance of the season on November 21, failing to complete a pass in four attempts against the Patriots. As the 1999 season wrapped up, the Dolphins signed Zolak to a contract extension, keeping him on the team for another year. Despite the retirement of Dan Marino
, the Dolphins cut Zolak in May 2000. Zolak trained for the Detroit Lions
during the summer after they lost Mike Tomczak
for the season, but instead he signed on as a host for Patriots Gameday alongside Bob Lobel
in August, ending his professional football career.
with his wife Amy and his three children (Hadley, Samantha, and Brody). His daughter, Samantha, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes
, and Zolak has since been investigating causes of the disease.
After retirement, Zolak became a co-host of a morning sports radio talk show on Rhode Island
sportstalk station "The Score" (WSKO/790 & WSKO-FM/99.7) until the show was canceled in 2008. He was also a football analyst for the CBS College Sports Network, as well as on the New England sports program Out of Bounds on the Comcast
channel hosted by Gregg Murphy
. In addition, Scott was a frequent guest host on The Big Show
on WEEI
in Boston
before joining Gary Tanguay for the midday slot on "The Sports Hub" 98.5FM WBZ-FM
, which covers the Boston area. Zolak is currently co-host of "Gresh and Zolak" on "The Sports Hub" with Andy Gresh
.
For the 2008 NFL season
, Zolak joined WCVB (ABC Boston) as the station's Patriots analyst and also appeared on "SportsCenter 5 OT" on Sundays with Mike Lynch
. The previous year, he had worked with Lynch covering high school games. In September 2010, the United Football League announced that Zolak would do color commentary during live games on the New England Sports Network
. Zolak also contributes to "Patriots All Access", part of the New England Patriots' website.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for nine seasons. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8.
A graduate of Ringgold High School
Ringgold High School (Pennsylvania)
Ringgold High School, part of the Ringgold School District, is in Carroll Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is about thirty miles south of Pittsburgh. The Ringgold School District was formed as a result of the merger of the Donora and Monongahela School Districts.-Graduation rate:In...
and the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, Zolak was selected 84th in the 1991
1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the New England Patriots. He did not play in 1991, but started a few games in 1992 and had his most productive season statistically. When Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
was drafted in 1993, Zolak became his backup for the next six seasons. He appeared as a replacement for Bledsoe when he was hurt, but only started three games during this time. He was released at the end of the 1998 season, and signed with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in 1999, playing in one game for Miami before retiring. After his retirement, he became a sportscaster and football analyst in the New England area.
High school
Zolak was born on December 13, 1967 in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. As a child, he acted as the waterboy for the football team at Ringgold High School
Ringgold High School (Pennsylvania)
Ringgold High School, part of the Ringgold School District, is in Carroll Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, which is about thirty miles south of Pittsburgh. The Ringgold School District was formed as a result of the merger of the Donora and Monongahela School Districts.-Graduation rate:In...
in Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Monongahela, colloquially called "Mon City," is a Third Class City in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, located approximately south of the city proper. The population was 4,761 at the 2000 census...
, where his father, Paul, worked as head coach and athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. Future NFL quarterback Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
played for Ringgold during this time and gave Zolak a football, which he later rubbed for good luck before every game. When Zolak attended Ringgold High School himself, he was the team's starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback and punter, and lettered four times. Zolak also played on the Ringgold basketball team as a forward, and was a four-time letterman in that sport as well. As a result of his football performance, he was invited to participate in the Big 33 Football Classic
Big 33 Football Classic
The Big 33 Football Classic is an all-star American football game featuring the top high-school football players in Pennsylvania. Played since 1957, the game is often described as the "Super Bowl of High School Football." The last 14 contests have pitted players from Pennsylvania against players...
, which featured the top high school football players in Pennsylvania.
College
After graduating from high school, Zolak played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. He sat out his freshmen year, and became the third-string quarterback behind Dan Henning and Neil O'Donnell
Neil O'Donnell
Neil Kennedy O'Donnell is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans...
after two quarterbacks transferred. By the end of his sophomore season, Zolak was challenging O'Donnell for the starting job after Henning graduated. As his junior year began, in the summer of 1988, offensive coordinator Bob Valesente
Bob Valesente
Bob Valesente is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at Ithaca College and spent more than 35 years as a football coach...
said that Zolak was making tremendous strides as a quarterback, but O'Donnell was the starting quarterback that year. Zolak's first collegiate appearance came against West Virginia
1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 11–0 and traveled to the Fiesta Bowl to decide the National Championship, where they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34–21.-1988 Schedule:-1988 season:...
. He completed
Completion (American football)
A completion is a term used in American football when a receiver successfully catches a pass. The three possible outcomes of a pass thrown are completion, incompletion, and interception, respectively....
four of six passes
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
for 28 yards, but had an interception returned for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
by Bo Orlando
Bo Orlando
Joseph John "Bo" Orlando is a retired American football safety player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Oilers, San Diego Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals.-High school career:...
in a 55–24 loss. He appeared in four games for Maryland that season.
Zolak was again the backup behind O'Donnell in 1989. He played in eight games, completing 33 of 69 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns. In 1990, after O'Donnell graduated and began his NFL career, Zolak became the starter for Maryland, and head coach Joe Krivak had high hopes for him heading into the season. In his first start as a senior, Zolak completed a school record 28 passes in 46 attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard pass to Gene Thomas with 61 seconds left that gave Maryland the win against , 20–13. The following week, he once more featured in a dramatic conclusion, throwing a 59-yard touchdown pass to Gene Thomas with 2:27 left to beat 25th ranked , 14–10. However, he was struggling in other aspects of his game. In an October game against Georgia Tech
1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Yellow Jackets offense scored 379 points while the defense allowed 186 points. Led by head coach Bobby Ross, the Yellow Jackets participated in the...
, Zolak was sacked
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
10 times. In four games, he had been sacked 23 times and had a pass intercepted 12 times. By the end of the season, as Maryland was preparing to face in the , he had thrown 225 completed passes in 418 attempts for 2,589 yards and 10 touchdowns. The teams tied, 34–34, in Zolak's final collegiate appearance. At the time of his graduation, he ranked fifth in school history with 270 pass completions, seventh with 3,124 career passing yards, and second with 2,589 passing yards in a season. He was also named Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Offensive Player of the Week four times.
New England Patriots
With the 84th pick in the fourth round of the 19911991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, Zolak was selected by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. Scouting reports noted that his size and arm strength were great for the NFL, though there were concerns about his accuracy. Upon drafting him, Patriots Vice President of Player Operations Joe Mendes agreed that his size and arm would translate to the NFL, and he was not worried about any accuracy issues. His drafting led to a shakeup with the Patriots' current quarterbacks, as Marc Wilson announced his retirement and longtime starting quarterback Steve Grogan
Steve Grogan
Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.-High school and college:...
was released. Zolak agreed on a contract with the Patriots in July, and was the second-to-last person to hold out after Leonard Russell
Leonard Russell
Leonard James Russell is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New England Patriots in the 1st round of the 1991 NFL Draft. A 6'2", 235-lb. running back from Arizona State University, Russell played in 6 NFL seasons from 1991 to 1996 for the Patriots, the Denver...
. Zolak spent the 1991 season
1991 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
as the third-string quarterback, behind Hugh Millen
Hugh Millen
Hugh Breedlove Millen is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 216-lb...
and Tom Hodson, and did not take the field.
At the start of the 1992 season
1992 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
, Zolak also looked unlikely to appear, being behind Hodson and Millen on the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. Millen started the first five games before being injured, and then Hodson became the starter. In early November, Zolak made his professional debut in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Relieving Hodson, he completed five of nine passes and threw an interception as the Patriots lost, 31–14. The next week, Zolak made his first career start when the still winless Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the Patriots' first win of the season, 37–34. As a result of his performance, he was named the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) Player of the Week. The next week, Zolak led his team to their second victory of the season against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He completed seven of 16 passes for 102 yards, getting help from Jon Vaughn
Jon Vaughn
Jonathan Stewart Vaughn is a former professional American football player who played running back and served as a kick returner in the National Football League for 4 seasons from 1991 to 1994 for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs...
who had 110 rushing yards, and the Patriots won, 24–3. However, the following week's performance against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
was less impressive. He completed nine of 16 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions in the Patriots' losing effort, and he said it felt like he was "on a desert island by myself." After Zolak's performance against Atlanta, he lost the starting job, and Millen again filled that role. However, Millen suffered a shoulder injury against the Colts, and after Zolak played part of the game against Indianapolis, he again became the starter for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. Zolak injured his ankle at the end of the third quarter, making the appearance against Kansas City his last for the season as Jeff Carlson took over quarterbacking duties. Zolak finished the season with 52 pass completions in 100 attempts, 561 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 58.8.
In 1993, the Patriots and new head coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
were looking to improve the quarterback spot on their roster. They signed Scott Secules
Scott Secules
Thomas "Scott" Wescott Secules is a former professional American football quarterback who played 6 seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1993 for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots.Secules was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 6th round of the 1988...
, and attempted to sign Steve Beuerlein
Steve Beuerlein
Stephen Taylor "Steve" Beuerlein is a former football quarterback, and currently is an NFL and college football analyst for CBS.-Education:...
, but the latter deal did not happen. They also gave Hugh Millen permission to seek a trade. In April, Millen was traded to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, and the Patriots chose Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
with the first pick in the 1993 NFL Draft
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
. During the offseason, Carlson was released, leaving Secules, Zolak, Bledsoe, and Hodson to compete for the three spots on the roster. By the end of the preseason, Bledsoe had won the starting job and Hodson had been cut, with Secules as the backup and Zolak as the third-string quarterback. Zolak saw playing time in three games in 1993, and threw two incomplete passes. He became a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the offseason, but re-signed with the Patriots for three years. As Secules was released during preseason, Zolak was set as Bledsoe's backup as the 1994 season began. As was the case in the 1993 season, he did not make a starting appearance, as Bledsoe played the full 16 games, however Zolak did see action in every game, primarily as the holder
Holder (American football)
In American football the holder is the player who receives the snap during field goal and extra point attempts made by place kick. The holder is usually positioned between seven and eight yards behind the line of scrimmage. The holder kneels down and places the hand farthest from the line of...
for extra point and field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
attempts. Over the course of the season, he completed five of eight passes for 28 yards in the two games in which he saw time at quarterback. The 1995 season
1995 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of six wins and ten losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:-Roster:...
was similar, with Bledsoe starting and Zolak backing him up. In September, Bledsoe separated his left shoulder in a game and sat out a week to heal, allowing Zolak to make his first start since 1992. On October 1, 1995, Zolak took the field against the Atlanta Falcons, and completed 24 of 45 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown, though the Patriots lost the game, 30–17. Although Bledsoe's doctors wanted him to sit out another week, he refused and played the next week's game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. This again relegated Zolak to the backup position, where he remained for the rest of the season. He finished the season with 28 completed passes in 49 attempts for 282 yards, a touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 80.5.
The 1996 season
1996 New England Patriots season
The New England Patriots participated in the National Football League's 1996 season, the team's 37th in football. The Patriots finished with a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
began well for Zolak, whose contract was extended through 1998. However, to remain with the Patriots, Zolak took a $250,000 pay cut to work around the salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
. While he appeared set to keep his backup job heading into training camp, he faced tough competition from Jay Barker
Jay Barker
Jay Barker is a former professional American football quarterback, and a current Birmingham radio personality.- Football career :...
. While Zolak welcomed the challenge, his status as the backup quarterback began to seem uncertain a few weeks into training camp. By the end of training camp, Barker had been cut, and Zolak's quarterback job was safe. He took the role of emergency quarterback throughout the 1996 season, with Bledsoe taking nearly all the snaps and Tom Tupa
Tom Tupa
Thomas Joseph Tupa, Jr. is a former American football punter and quarterback in the National Football League.-Personal life and high school career:...
serving as the backup upon his signing. Zolak played in three games, completing one pass for five yards. He saw some playing time in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, but did not play in Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
. Parcells ordered Zolak to lose weight, which Zolak did throughout much of the season. The 1997 season was more of the same for Zolak, backing up Bledsoe, though the Patriots did have a new coach in Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
. As training camp ended, Zolak gained significantly more playing time during drills and the preseason matchups then he had under Parcells. As the regular season came and went, however, he had minimal playing time. Zolak saw action in four games, completing six of nine passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a quarterback rating of 128.2.
With Zolak coming to the final year of his contract in 1998
1998 New England Patriots season
The 1998 New England Patriots season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League and 39th season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good for fourth place in the division but also a playoff berth; they lost in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.In the offseason,...
, he sat in his usual spot on the depth chart, in between starter Bledsoe and third stringer Tupa. He saw playing time in three games during the first three months of the season in relief of Bledsoe. His most significant appearance during this time came against the Atlanta Falcons on November 8, 1998, where he completed three of ten passes for 33 yards and an interception in a 41–10 loss. Near the end of the month, Bledsoe was sidelined with an injury and was questionable for the final November game. Bledsoe played in three more games, but his injury kept him from playing in the final two, giving Zolak his first starting appearance since 1995. Zolak's first start came against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
on December 20. He completed 14 of 30 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and won the game, 24–21. He faced the New York Jets the following week, completing 14 of 31 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, but lost the game 31–10. Zolak finished the season with his most productive totals since 1992. He played in six games and started two, completed 32 of 75 passes for 371 yards, three touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and had a passer rating of 61.8. Zolak's last appearance for the Patriots occurred in the playoffs, as Bledsoe was still injured, against the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He completed 21 of 44 passes as the Jaguars eliminated the Patriots from playoff contention in a 25–10 loss. He became an unrestricted free agent after the season ended, but was not asked back by the Patriots, ending his tenure there.
Miami Dolphins
After leaving the Patriots, Zolak was signed to a one-year contract by the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. With Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
considered the starter, Zolak was competing against Ray Lucas
Ray Lucas
For the baseball player of the same name, see Ray Lucas Ray Lucas is a studio analyst for the show Jets Nation on New York City-based sports network SportsNet New York...
for a backup job. He was the second-string quarterback as training camp began, but his competition increased when the Jets signed Rick Mirer
Rick Mirer
Richard Franklin Mirer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. After a successful collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, Mirer was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the second pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. Mirer was traded to the Chicago Bears during...
and left three quarterbacks to battle for two open spots on the team. Two days after acquiring Mirer from the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, the Jets released Zolak. In October, Zolak was signed to a one-year deal by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to serve as the backup quarterback behind Damon Huard
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Washington....
and Jim Druckenmiller
Jim Druckenmiller
James David Druckenmiller, Jr. is a former American football quarterback.In his career Druckenmiller played for the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League, as well as the Memphis Maniax of the XFL and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena...
. He was later made the backup behind Huard, and made his only appearance of the season on November 21, failing to complete a pass in four attempts against the Patriots. As the 1999 season wrapped up, the Dolphins signed Zolak to a contract extension, keeping him on the team for another year. Despite the retirement of Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, the Dolphins cut Zolak in May 2000. Zolak trained for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
during the summer after they lost Mike Tomczak
Mike Tomczak
Michael John "Mike" Tomczak is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams including the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers....
for the season, but instead he signed on as a host for Patriots Gameday alongside Bob Lobel
Bob Lobel
Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter...
in August, ending his professional football career.
Life after football
Zolak resides in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
with his wife Amy and his three children (Hadley, Samantha, and Brody). His daughter, Samantha, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 1
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
, and Zolak has since been investigating causes of the disease.
After retirement, Zolak became a co-host of a morning sports radio talk show on Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
sportstalk station "The Score" (WSKO/790 & WSKO-FM/99.7) until the show was canceled in 2008. He was also a football analyst for the CBS College Sports Network, as well as on the New England sports program Out of Bounds on the Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
channel hosted by Gregg Murphy
Gregg Murphy
Gregg Murphy is a sports journalist and was part of CN8's sports coverage. He hosted Out of Bounds, an hour-long sports program, airing at 7 p.m. weeknights, that examines the nation's biggest sports stories...
. In addition, Scott was a frequent guest host on The Big Show
The Big Show (sports radio show)
The Big Show is a sports talk radio program on Boston's WEEI 850 AM. Started in August 1995, the show is hosted by former Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Glenn Ordway and former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley...
on WEEI
WEEI
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
before joining Gary Tanguay for the midday slot on "The Sports Hub" 98.5FM WBZ-FM
WBZ-FM
WBZ-FM is a sports radio station known as "98.5 The Sports Hub" and broadcasting on 98.5 MHz in Boston, Massachusetts. Owned by CBS Radio, the current WBZ-FM began on August 13, 2009 and competes with AM sports talk stations WEEI and competed with the ESPN Radio pair of WAMG and WLLH before their...
, which covers the Boston area. Zolak is currently co-host of "Gresh and Zolak" on "The Sports Hub" with Andy Gresh
Andy Gresh
Andy Gresh is an American sports broadcaster. He is a national and New England media personality and college football color analyst. He is host of The Gresh Show heard on Sirius XM satellite radio Monday-Friday 8 p.m.–1 a.m. He has also been seen doing work for SportsNet New York in New York City....
.
For the 2008 NFL season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
, Zolak joined WCVB (ABC Boston) as the station's Patriots analyst and also appeared on "SportsCenter 5 OT" on Sundays with Mike Lynch
Mike Lynch (sportscaster)
Mike Lynch is the sports director and anchor for WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is seen on the air at 6 and 11 PM from Sunday to Thursday, or when a significant sports event is happening. He has been at WCVB since 1982...
. The previous year, he had worked with Lynch covering high school games. In September 2010, the United Football League announced that Zolak would do color commentary during live games on the New England Sports Network
New England Sports Network
The New England Sports Network, or NESN [NESS-en], is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states except Fairfield County, Connecticut and Southbury, Connecticut, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut which is covered by New York City sports networks...
. Zolak also contributes to "Patriots All Access", part of the New England Patriots' website.