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Zedalis hopes 6th time's charm

Florida's former starting center will try to regain form in rare sixth season of eligibility.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 2, 2001

HOOVER, Ala. -- When Zac Zedalis began his college football career at Florida, Bill Clinton was in the final year of his first term as president, Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch was a highly touted freshman at Kentucky and the Gators had never won a national championship.

That's how long Zedalis has been a college player. Or, at least, how long he's been a Gator.

Playing football? That's a different story.

In 1999, Zedalis was the starting center when he injured a knee in the first game.

"I was thinking that (it would be short-lived) until I woke up the next morning and I put pressure on it and it buckled," Zedalis said at Wednesday's SEC Media Days. "And then I wasn't thinking that anymore."

Florida coach Steve Spurrier said: "We were thinking he might make it back for Tennessee (two games later)."

Not only did he not come back for Tennessee, Zedalis hasn't played since.

But two seasons, surgery, acupuncture, radical bee-sting treatments and countless rehabilitation sessions later, the 6-3, 280-pound Zedalis is expected to return to the lineup this fall. He is hoping to have his first injury-free, productive season since 1998, when he played in all 11 games with 10 starts.

"I'm in the best shape I've been mentally and physically since (arriving)," Zedalis said.

Zedalis will be allowed to play thanks to the generosity of the NCAA, which granted him a rare sixth year of eligibility. The 23-year-old Zedalis is the first Florida player granted a sixth year to play.

"When I knew they were applying for a sixth year, I thought maybe they had an outside chance, but realistically, I was shocked when they gave it to him," said Jim McCullough, associate commissioner of the SEC in charge of NCAA rules interpretations. "Is that rare? It's unprecedented."

And that rare opportunity to be the exception to the rule has made Zedalis, the boy who grew up a lifelong Gators fan in Alachua, just outside Gainesville, all the more thankful.

"It definitely wasn't fun; it's probably one of the worst experiences I've had to go through," Zedalis said. "I didn't get to travel with them, I just walked to the games like everyone else. ... I wasn't in the mix. I wasn't part of it. And it was painful. I'm so glad and so appreciative that I got an extra year to be a part of it one more time, to soak up everything I can this final year."

Zedalis' importance to the Gators is simple. Without him, three of the starting five offensive linemen would be making their career starts in the opening game against Marshall.

"Hopefully Zac will stay healthy this year," Spurrier said. "He went through spring practice and the summer, he missed two years. ... He has a chance to be one of our leaders on the offense and for our team. He was there in the 1996 season, so maybe the championships will run down through."

Zedalis is the only remaining member of the 1996 championship team, but he admits it doesn't feel right putting himself among that group. He was redshirted that season; he isn't even sure where his championship ring is.

"It's at my mom's house somewhere," he said. "I didn't really earn it."

With the loss of Kenyatta Walker and the suspension of center David Jorgensen for the season opener, Zedalis' role is crucial. After all, the guy calling the blocking assignments needs to have experience and leadership. Zedalis eventually hopes to fill that role.

"Being a leader comes with time," he said. "I've been around teams at the university a lot of time. I obviously haven't had that much time on the field, but being around the situation helps."

Zedalis readily admits the time he's spent off the field has made him more mature and eased his bitterness. After his injury, he wrote a letter to the Western Michigan player involved in the play, saying he wished the player's "whole family would die." After a return letter telling him he was a jerk, Zedalis said he wrote a second letter and called the player to apologize.

"I was very angry," he said, adding he doesn't remember the player's name. "But it wasn't his fault, I was just an angry person."

Zedalis will graduate in two weeks with a degree in Recreation Program Delivery and plans to attend graduate school in the fall. Zedalis said he hopes his final Florida team will be able to repeat what his first-season teammates accomplished -- with him being an integral part of a championship team.

"This definitely has the makings of a great story if it all works out in the end," Zedalis said.

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