Stewart walking away from football
The bags were packed. Some of them already loaded into the car from the night before. It was move-in day for freshman football players at Tennessee.
It's also a day that Coalfield native Zach Stewart won't ever forget.
"It was the morning I was supposed to leave," Stewart said. "Around 5 a.m., my dad woke me up and told me it was bad and they took her to the hospital. It was a roller-coaster of emotions and it changed how I think about things."
Stewarts's mother, Laura, who was a middle school teacher in the Coalfield school district, died unexpectedly at the age of 42.
"Unfortunately it was the hand we were dealt," Stewart said. "You know how tight all four of us were. We never went anywhere without the all of us. You look at things differently and that's why I've decided to give up football and just be there for my family. Spend time with my brother, my dad and my grandparents because you don't know how much longer any of us have. It just gave me new perspective."
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones recently reached out to Stewart, and Jones told VolQuest.com that Stewart always will be a Vol.
“I can’t say enough about him and his family," said an emotional Jones. "That’s a young man that’s always on my heart, and he’ll always be a Vol. Just reaching out to him and seeing if there’s anything we can do for him or his family, because they mean the world to us.
"Just everything they’ve been through and also that great community rallying around his family. I’m forever grateful for the time I’ve spent with his mother and again, I just can’t say enough about him and his family.”
The former Rivals.com 4-star offensive lineman, who dominated 1A ball in the state of Tennessee in taking home Mr. Football honors and helping lead his team to the state championship game during his senior season, now has a new purpose.
"A lot of people will say I'm wasting an opportunity but I worked for it, that opportunity, and it's mine to do with," Stewart said. "I don't know if anyone would do anything different than I'm doing."
Stewart delayed his career in the days and months following the untimely death of his mother. Shock, disbelief, and heartbreak found their way into his life. A big kid with a big smile and “an old head,” Stewart found himself lost. That's when he found some peace doing something very similar to what he's always done. Instead of popping pads between the white lines, Stewart found himself coaching his brother's middle school team. Time has healed the numb feeling that he felt, but it's also given him a different outlook.
"A year and a half away and I'm not sure I'd be ready for that SEC speed," Stewart said. "I've still been working out but my heart is here and not there. I'd cheat myself and the program and that's not fair to anyone."
Stewart reached out to Tennessee's VFL coordinator Antone Davis in the last few weeks to convey his desire to change directions. That was followed by a call from head coach Butch Jones.
"(Coach Jones) was very supportive," Stewart said. "He just told me they would still be there for me and anything I need to call him and he would help any way that he could. That includes getting into school after I finish up my two years at community college."
Stewart has come to realize something he always knew and that his mom instilled in him. Family is the core strength that gives him hope for a bright future. A future that he hopes will be threaded by the lessons that Laura Stewart ingrained during her 18 years with her son.
"I'd like to be a teacher just like my parents," Stewart said. "There was a segment on the news after she passed and the kids were saying all of these kind things and it just showed what kind of effect she made. That's what I want to do. I want to make an impact as a teacher and a coach."
The future remains bright for Coalfield's favorite son and orange will still play a major role. Just not the orange he dreamed of two very long years ago. Instead it's the orange he's always known accompanied by that familiar Yellow Jacket black as he remains true to himself, his family and a sweet angel always by his side.