Last year, running back Zachary Tronti '11 suffered from a serious season-ending injury. But after the Bears won their first game of the season against Stony Brook, Tronti and the Bears look to be in good shape for the rest of the season.
For his valiant efforts in Saturday's season opener and scoring the game winning touchdown in the second overtime, The Herald has named Tronti Athlete of the Week.
You're coming back from a season-ending injury. How does it feel to be out on the field again?
It feels great. Last year I tore my ACL in the eighth game of the season, so I'm a little over nine months right now in the recovery stage. It's been really good, though. I got back to camp and started right away with practice and everything. The coaches and trainers didn't really try to hold me back.
After dealing with such a serious injury, are you nervous at all about getting hurt again during your senior year?
Yeah, it goes through your mind, but once you get out into the flow of the game it kind of just becomes normal again. You have so much adrenaline that you don't even think about it. I just try to take care of my body during the week. Try not to think about it as much as you can.
Last season Brown lost to Stony Brook by one point. Did you guys have that in mind going in to this year's game?
Definitely. We really wanted to get some revenge. It was a really tough loss. It was a game we definitely should have won last year. So this year it was kind of like the same situation but just the roles reversed, you know? They missed an extra point like we did last year, too. We were able to take advantage this year, so it's really a good thing to get the season rolling.
You have three brothers and a sister. Are they as big on sports as you are?
Yeah, they're all really big sports fans. My brother, who is in high school right now, plays football and my youngest brother's a big football fan. My sister likes horses, but my other brother just goes to school right now. But yeah, they're really big fans. They're watching the game this weekend, giving me a lot of support.
What made you decide to leave Florida for Providence?
I'm actually originally from Providence; I was born here. And my family's up here. My grandparents live in Rhode Island; my mom's from Rhode Island. I just really liked Brown when I came here. I wanted to come back to school in New England. It was just a really good fit when I came.
What do you think you'll be doing after graduation?
I'm not totally sure right now. I'm gonna take the LSAT this February and see how it goes. I'm gonna try and finish up this football season. It's a lot of work and then try to figure out my plans after that.
Do you have any interesting pregame rituals?
Nothing too weird. I always have to listen to my music right before I go out. I always have to spat (over-the-cleat ankle tape) myself up, to make sure I tape up the outside of my cleats and everything. I have to play with a spat or else I feel weird out there. But nothing too crazy, nothing too weird.
Who's your NFL team?
The Patriots. I'm a big Patriots fan because I was born here, and my parents were both big Patriots fans growing up, so that's my team.
If you could hang out with any three NFL players for the day, who would they be and why?
Definitely Tom Brady, just because I really respect him as a leader, and as a player I think he's the ultimate professional with how he carries himself on and off the field.
Who else do I wanna hang out with? I really like Fred Taylor — he's the Patriot's running back. I also like him 'cause he played for the Jaguars for a long time — which is where I live, in Jacksonville. And I really like him, he's a running back.
And I think Chad Ochocinco would be a very interesting guy. Just for fun, just to throw it in, mix it up.
The upcoming Harvard game is obviously a big deal. Are you guys getting sick of hearing all of the hype?
No, I mean, it's obviously the biggest game any of us are ever going play in. It's something that usually determines who's going to win the Ivy League. So we know it's a big game, but at the same time I think everybody's just trying to approach it as any other game. When you play in the Ivy League, you know, it's pretty much you have to win every game if you're going to win the championship.
Me, personally, I'm just trying to take it as any other game and prepare myself. Once you get out there, you know, it's going to be a great atmosphere. Hopefully everybody comes out. We'll get the whole student body to throw their support behind this one. It's going to be awesome.
