 Zolak in 2009 | |||||||||
| No. 16, 14 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1967-12-13)December 13, 1967 (age 58) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Ringgold(Monongahela, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College | Maryland (1986-1990) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1991: 4th round, 85th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Scott David Zolak (born December 13, 1967) is an Americanbroadcaster and former professionalfootball player. He playedquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with theNew England Patriots. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games, with 7 starts, for the Patriots andMiami Dolphins, completed 124 of 248passes for 1,314 yards, threw eighttouchdowns and seveninterceptions, and finished his career with apasser rating of 64.8.
A graduate ofRinggold High School and theUniversity of Maryland, Zolak was selected 84th in the1991 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He did not play in 1991, but started four games in 1992 and had his most productive season statistically. WhenDrew 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 theNew 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.
Zolak was born on December 13, 1967, inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, was thewaterboy for the football team atRinggold High School inMonongahela, Pennsylvania, where his father, Paul, worked as head coach andathletic director.[1][2][3] Future NFL quarterbackJoe Montana played for Ringgold during this time and gave Zolak a football, which he later rubbed for good luck before every game.[1] When Zolak attended Ringgold High School himself, he was the team'sstarting quarterback andpunter, andlettered four times.[2] Zolak also played on the Ringgold basketball team as aforward, and was a four-time letterman in that sport as well.[2] As a result of his football performance, he was invited to participate in theBig 33 Football Classic, which featured the top high school football players in Pennsylvania.[4]
After graduating from high school, Zolak playedcollege football at theUniversity of Maryland. He sat out his freshman year, and became the third-string quarterback for theTerrapins behind Dan Henning andNeil O'Donnell after two quarterbacks transferred.[5] By the end of his sophomore season, Zolak was challenging O'Donnell for the starting job after Henning graduated.[6] As his junior year began, in the summer of 1988, offensive coordinatorBob Valesente said that Zolak was making tremendous strides as a quarterback, but O'Donnell was the starting quarterback that year.[7] Zolak's first collegiate appearance came againstWest Virginia. Hecompleted four of six passes for 28 yards, but had an interception returned for a touchdown byBo Orlando in a 55–24 loss.[8] He appeared in four games for Maryland that season.[2]
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.[2] In 1990, after O'Donnell graduated and began his NFL career, Zolak became thestarter for Maryland, and head coachJoe Krivak had high hopes for him heading into the season.[9] 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 againstVirginia Tech, 20–13.[10] 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-rankedWest Virginia, 14–10.[11] However, he was struggling in other aspects of his game. In an October game againstGeorgia Tech, Zolak wassacked 10 times. In four games, he had been sacked 23 times and had 12 passes intercepted.[12] By the end of the season, as Maryland was preparing to faceLouisiana Tech in the1990 Independence Bowl, he had thrown 225 completed passes in 418 attempts for 2,589 yards and 10 touchdowns.[13] 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 namedAtlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times.[2] Zolak remains the most recent quarterback drafted from Maryland.
| Year | Team | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1988 | Maryland | 12 | 22 | 54.5 | 128 | 5.8 | 0 | 1 | 94.3 | 3 | -17 | -5.7 | 0 |
| 1989 | Maryland | 33 | 69 | 47.8 | 407 | 5.9 | 2 | 3 | 98.2 | 12 | -35 | -2.9 | 0 |
| 1990 | Maryland | 225 | 418 | 53.8 | 2,589 | 6.2 | 10 | 19 | 104.7 | 64 | -197 | -3.1 | 1 |
| Career | 270 | 509 | 53.0 | 3,124 | 6.1 | 12 | 23 | 103.3 | 79 | -249 | -3.2 | 1 | |
Source:[14]
TheNew England Patriots selected Zolak with the 84th pick in the fourth round of the1991 NFL draft.[15] Scouting reports noted that his size and arm strength were great for the NFL, though there were concerns about his accuracy.[16] 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.[17] His drafting led to a shakeup with the Patriots' current quarterbacks, asMarc Wilson announced his retirement and longtime starting quarterbackSteve Grogan was released.[18] Zolak agreed on a contract with the Patriots in July, and was the second-to-last person tohold out afterLeonard Russell.[19] Zolak spent the1991 season as the third-string quarterback, behindHugh Millen andTommy Hodson, and did not take the field.[2]
"It's a heck of an honor considering the other quarterbacks in the league and the other AFC offensive players that are in the AFC. I'm wowed by it right now. I couldn't have done it without the other 10 guys."
At the start of the1992 season, Zolak also looked unlikely to appear, being behind Hodson and Millen on thedepth 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 theNew Orleans Saints. Relieving Hodson, he completed five of nine passes and threw an interception as the Patriots lost, 31–14.[21] The next week, Zolak made his first career start when the 0–9 Patriots faced theIndianapolis 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.[22] As a result of his performance, he was named theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) Player of the Week.[20] The next week, Zolak led his team to their second victory of the season against theNew York Jets. He completed seven of 16 passes for 102 yards, getting help fromJon Vaughn who had 110rushing yards, and the Patriots won, 24–3.[23] However, the following week's performance against theAtlanta 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."[24] 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 theKansas City Chiefs.[25] Zolak injured his ankle at the end of the third quarter, making the appearance against Kansas City his last for the season asJeff Carlson took over quarterbacking duties.[26] Zolak finished the season with 52 pass completions in 100 attempts, 561 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and apasser rating of 58.8.[27]
In 1993, the Patriots and new head coachBill Parcells were looking to improve the quarterback spot on their roster. They signedScott Secules, and attempted to signSteve Beuerlein, but the latter deal did not happen. They also gave Hugh Millen permission to seek a trade.[28] In April, Millen was traded to theDallas Cowboys, and the Patriots choseDrew Bledsoe with the first pick in the1993 NFL draft.[29] 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 thepreseason, Bledsoe had won the starting job and Hodson had been cut, with Secules as the backup and Zolak as the third-string quarterback.[30] Zolak saw playing time in three games in 1993, and threw two incomplete passes.[27] He became arestricted free agent in the offseason, but re-signed with the Patriots for three years.[31] As Secules was released during the 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 theholder forextra point andfield 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.[27] The1995 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.[32] 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.[33] Although Bledsoe's doctors wanted him to sit out another week, he refused and played the next week's game against theDenver Broncos.[34] 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.[27]
The1996 season began well for Zolak, whose contract was extended through 1998.[35] However, to remain with the Patriots, Zolak took a $250,000 pay cut to work around thesalary cap.[36] While he appeared set to keep his backup job heading into training camp, he faced tough competition fromJay Barker. While Zolak welcomed the challenge, his status as the backup quarterback began to seem uncertain a few weeks into training camp.[37] 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 andTom Tupa serving as the backup upon his signing. Zolak played in three games, completing one pass for five yards.[27] He saw some playing time in the playoffs against thePittsburgh Steelers, but did not play inSuper Bowl XXXI. Parcells ordered Zolak to lose weight, which Zolak did throughout much of the season.[38] The 1997 season was more of the same for Zolak, backing up Bledsoe, though the Patriots did have a new coach inPete Carroll. As training camp ended, Zolak gained significantly more playing time during drills and the preseason matchups than he had under Parcells.[39] 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.[27]
With Zolak coming to the final year of his contract in1998, 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.[40] Near the end of the month, Bledsoe was sidelined with an injury and was questionable for the final November game.[41] 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.[42] Zolak's first start came against theSan 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.[43] 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.[44] 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, three interceptions, and had a passer rating of 61.8.[27] Zolak's last appearance for the Patriots occurred in theplayoffs, as Bledsoe was still injured, against theJacksonville Jaguars. He completed 21 of 44 passes as the Jaguars eliminated the Patriots from playoff contention in a 25–10 loss.[45] He became anunrestricted free agent after the season ended, but was not asked back by the Patriots, ending his tenure there.[46]
After leaving the Patriots, Zolak was signed to a one-year contract by theNew York Jets.[46] WithVinny Testaverde considered the starter, Zolak was competing againstRay Lucas for a backup job. He was the second-string quarterback astraining camp began, but his competition increased when the Jets signedRick Mirer and left three quarterbacks to battle for two open spots on the team.[47] Two days after acquiring Mirer from theGreen Bay Packers, the Jets released Zolak.[48] In October, Zolak was signed to a one-year deal by theMiami Dolphins to serve as the backup quarterback behindDamon Huard andJim Druckenmiller.[49] 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.[27] As the 1999 season wrapped up, the Dolphins signed Zolak to a contract extension, keeping him on the team for another year.[50] Despite the retirement ofDan Marino, the Dolphins cut Zolak in May 2000.[51] Zolak trained for theDetroit Lions during the summer after they lostMike Tomczak for the season, but instead he signed on as a host for Patriots Gameday alongsideBob Lobel in August, ending his professional football career.[52]
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 1991 | NE | 0 | 0 | — | DNP | |||||||||||||||
| 1992 | NE | 6 | 4 | 2–2 | 52 | 100 | 52.0 | 561 | 5.6 | 2 | 4 | 58.8 | 18 | 71 | 3.9 | 0 | ||||
| 1993 | NE | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||
| 1994 | NE | 16 | 0 | — | 5 | 8 | 62.5 | 28 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 68.8 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | ||||
| 1995 | NE | 16 | 1 | 0–1 | 28 | 49 | 57.1 | 282 | 5.8 | 1 | 0 | 80.5 | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 0 | ||||
| 1996 | NE | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 | 4 | -3 | -0.8 | 0 | ||||
| 1997 | NE | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 9 | 66.7 | 67 | 7.4 | 2 | 0 | 128.2 | 3 | -3 | -1.0 | 0 | ||||
| 1998 | NE | 6 | 2 | 1–1 | 32 | 75 | 42.7 | 371 | 4.9 | 3 | 3 | 54.9 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||
| 1999 | MIA | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 0 | ||||
| Career[53] | 55 | 7 | 3–4 | 124 | 248 | 50.0 | 1,314 | 5.3 | 8 | 7 | 64.8 | 38 | 81 | 2.1 | 0 | |||||
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1994 | NE | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NE | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 56.2 | 3 | -4 | -1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | NE | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 21 | 44 | 47.7 | 190 | 4.3 | 0 | 1 | 50.4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 1 | 0–1 | 22 | 46 | 47.8 | 193 | 4.2 | 0 | 1 | 50.4 | 3 | -4 | -1.3 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 0 | |
After retirement, Zolak became a co-host of a morning sports radio talk show onRhode Island sportstalk station "The Score" (WSKO/790 &WSKO-FM/99.7) until the show was canceled in 2008.[54] He was also a football analyst for theCBS College Sports Network, as well as on the New England sports programOut of Bounds on theComcast channel hosted byGregg Murphy. In addition, Scott was a frequent guest host onThe Big Show onWEEI inBoston before joiningGary Tanguay for the midday slot on "The Sports Hub" 98.5 FMWBZ-FM, which covers the Boston area.[55]
For the2008 NFL season, Zolak joinedWCVB-TV (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.[56] In September 2010, theUnited Football League announced that Zolak would docolor commentary during live games on theNew England Sports Network.[57] Zolak also contributes to "Patriots All Access", part of the New England Patriots' website.[58] On August 8, 2012, Zolak was named the new color analyst for Patriots radio broadcasts, joiningGil Santos and replacingGino Cappelletti.[59] Prior to the 2013 NFL season, Santos retired and was replaced byBob Socci.[60] From 2018 to 2023, Zolak and Socci called Patriots preseason games onWBZ-TV. For the 2024 and 2025 preseasons, Zolak was part of a three-person booth withDevin andJason McCourty, with no traditional play-by-play broadcaster.[61]
In 2017 Zolak was awarded the short-lived The Globies' Voice of Boston Award byThe Boston Globe for his work on Patriots games and his radio show.[62]
During a game versus theNew Orleans Saints on October 13, 2013, Zolak's unbridled reaction to a comeback game-winning Patriots touchdown pass fromTom Brady toKenbrell Thompkins alongside play-by-play announcer and broadcast partner Socci went viral.[63][64][65] He and Socci were the Patriots' radio broadcasting team for the team's fourth, fifth, and sixth Super Bowl wins inSuper Bowl XLIX,Super Bowl LI andSuper Bowl LIII.[66][67]
On February 12, 2015, The Sports Hub announced that Zolak would team with Marc Bertrand as the co-host of a new show,Zolak and Bertrand, with a premiere scheduled for Tuesday, February 17. Bertrand had joined the station in 2009 and had previously worked as the sports headline anchor for theFelger & Mazz show. "I'm beyond thrilled to be moving to middays to work with Scott Zolak," said Bertrand.[68] As of December 2023, the show airs weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Prior to the announcement, Zolak had shared the midday time slot with Andy Gresh since 2010. Gresh's contract had recently expired, and despite rumors that he would be moving to a new company, the station said that Gresh would remain at 98.5 in a variety of roles. The new lineup came despite theGresh and Zo program having exceptional ratings driven by the Patriots' run to the Super Bowl XLIX title. Prior to the announcement, the program had earned a 17.4 share.[69][70] The show is also simulcast onNBC Sports Boston.[71]
Rob "Hardy" Poole held the third microphone position on theZolak and Bertrand show for a number of years. Poole had been withThe Sports Hub since the station's inception in 2009. In December 2023, the station announced that Hardy would joinThe Toucher and Rich Show on January 4, 2024, replacing Rich Shertenleib who had left the program in October 2023.[72][73]
Following the announcement of Poole's departure, Zolak expressed his appreciation of "Hardy's" work on the program. Tim McKone since has taken over Hardy's position.[74] The show had recently received 14.6 ratings share, according to data fromNielsen Media Research.[73]
Zolak resides inMassachusetts with his wife Amy and his three children (Hadley, Samantha, and Brody). His daughter, Samantha, was diagnosed withType 1 diabetes, and Zolak has since been investigating causes of the disease.[75] Zolak's son Brody currently plays quarterback forKing Philip Regional High School.[76]
