In Thursday's paper, I wrote this article about Zach Hemmila, the Arizona offensive lineman who passed away in August, as the Wildcats prepare for Friday night's Senior Night game against Arizona State.
Of course, not all of the anecdotes about Hemmila made it into the story (and boy, there were many) so I decided to include some of them here.
Here are some of my favorites that I gathered throughout the time I spent talking to Zach's parents.
Story I: Pittsburgh
Last year, Zach and his parents took a trip to Pittsburgh, where Zach’s mother is from. Inspired by his mom, Zach bonded with Matt Dudek (Arizona’s general manager of recruiting) over their shared Pittsburgh Steelers fandom.
Joel Hemmila: "There’s a saying in Pittsburgh: people call each other a ‘jagoff'. It’s kind of a term of endearment and you say it to your friends. So we were back in Pittsburgh a year and a half ago with Zach and he got Dudek a pin that said ‘jagoff' and Dudek actually wore it to the funeral. My wife and I loved it.”
Linda Hemmila: “I mean, Matt Dudek, I love Matt Dudek. He’s from Pittsburgh. That man is just absolutely wonderful. He’s kind. He’s a Pittsburgher, I don’t know what else to say.”
Story II: Jeff Casteel
The next anecdote is about former Arizona defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel.
Shortly after Zach’s passing, Casteel sent his parents a note.
Joel Hemmila: It was "about how Zach would, on his way to the offensive line meetings, he would stop in (Casteel)’s office and grab a handful of candy, have something sarcastic to say and (Casteel) really loved that. I didn’t even know they had a relationship."
Story III: Helping the homeless
No introduction needed here. Let Zach’s father tell you the story of how giving his son was, and how that has inspired him since Zach’s passing.
Joel Hemmila: “Back in May when he graduated, we were down there (in Tucson) spending time with him and he got some money (as a grad present) from different relatives. So, we’d be walking around and he’d see a homeless person and he’d give him 20 bucks.
“I work in Downtown Phoenix, and there’s a lot of homeless people. I’m not saying I’m giving them 20 bucks but I’m buying them some food, giving them some of Zach’s shoes. I look at somebody and they have floppy shoes and I say ‘what size shoe you wear?’ It’s a weird question. So I say ‘you need a pair of shoes? What color you like? Blue, red…’
“They get so many shoes on the football team. A lot of them I can’t wear. So I’ve given a couple pairs out. I’m treating them (the homeless) with real respect, which I didn’t in the past and I keep thinking, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to be doing now.
“He (Zach) was a pretty giving kid.”
Story IV: Mama's Boy
Both Zach's mother and father described Zach as a Mama's Boy.
Joel Hemmila: "He was such a good kid. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. My wife misses him laying on the bed with her, watching Harry Potter or something like that. Or reading the Harry Potter books.
Linda Hemmila: "Me and him, we would hit all the trilogy movies together. We’d crawl in the bed and just watch movies. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings. That was our thing. He was just an active kid. He liked to have fun, he had crazy antics. He’d pick me up off the ground. He gave the best hugs in the world."
Story V: Playing lacrosse
The Hemmilas moved back to Chandler, Arizona from Ohio when Zach was in the eighth grade, but due to the time of the year they moved, were not able to get him onto a football team. So, instead, they forced Zach to try out lacrosse.
Joel Hemmila: “My wife asked him what are you gonna do?’ And he says ‘play Xbox.’ That’s the only sport we ever took him to, he was kicking and screaming but he just fell in love with lacrosse, and he was really good at it. He played in eighth grade then in high school. He liked it. He learned a lot of foot skills. Back then the high school coaches were saying ‘no don’t play lacrosse’, and then the college coaches would be coming in saying ‘what other sports you play?’ He said lacrosse. They said that’s great. He was really good at it.:
Linda Hemmila: “I walked up to the lacrosse coach, I told him the situation, that I have this very active young man and he’s just been playing sports all year round and I need something for him to do this summer. So I told Zach to come over. I introduced him to the coach, who looked up at Zach and said ‘I will take him’ and put him right on the field.
“It was funny because Zach was so much bigger than all the lacrosse players. They would literally bounce off him.”
