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Colorado State University senior offensive lineman Zack Golditch is among 20 semifinalists for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.
Compiled by a subset of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Selection Committee, the semifinalists have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Golditch was previously also a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team and the Wuerffel Trophy. He was also CSU’s representative for the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Humanitarian Award, which recognized excellence in community service.
The Aurora, Colo., native has made several visits to hospitals, including the burn unit at Aurora’s UCHealth facility and the nearby Children’s Hospital Colorado. He has also spent time befriending children involved with Respite Care, a non-profit organization in Larimer County provides short term, quality care for children with developmental disabilities, giving respite to their families, and enhancing the quality of life for the entire family.
He also participated in CSU’s Green and Global Initiative, traveling to Jamaica with several other Rams athletes on a community service trip in May.
Golditch is double majoring in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. He is expected to graduate in December, becoming the first member of his immediate family to do so.
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 11. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on February 22, 2018, at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
The inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, will be the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport and the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver, has served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 15-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten has also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 10 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states. SCORE has also operated a weekend food backpack program for disadvantaged children in North Texas, opened Jason Witten Learning Centers in five different Boys & Girls Clubs and opened the Jason and Michelle Witten Emergency Waiting Room at the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn.
