Scott Zolak Bio: Early Life, Football, Broadcasting & Net Worth

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Scott Zolak is an American broadcaster and former professional football player. He was in the NFL for nine seasons as a quarterback and retired from his NFL career while with the Miami Dolphins. He is known for his words and sense of humor.

On November 2022, Scott Zolak slammed the Jets after the Patriots won the match.

The broadcaster erupted in the booth as the New England Patriots sent the New York jets to a demoralizing 10-3 loss at Gillette Stadium.

scott-zolak
Scott Zolak Carrying Monster Drinks ( Source: gossipbio.com)

If you are an avid sports fanatic, you must have come across the on-air personality. His uncanny knack for keeping the audience in his grip makes the game more exciting or miserable.

Additionally, he is that one broadcaster who is more excited than his adoring public as he takes the game to the peak with his back-and-forth rolling.

The athlete is a television icon and has played for teams like the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

By the end of his career, Zolak had posted 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. All in all, he had a passer rating of 64.8.

Let’s look at some quick facts.

Scott Zolak |Quick Facts 

Full Name Scott David Zolak
Date of Birth December 13, 1967
Birth Place Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nick Name Zo
Religion Christianity
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Zodiac Sign Sagittarius
Age 56 Years Old
Height 6 ft 5 in / 1.96 m / 196 cm
Weight 230 lb / 104 kg
Hair Color Blonde
Eye Color Light blue
Build Athletic
Father’s Name Paul Zolak
Mother’s Name Not Available
Siblings Not Available
Education Ringgold High School
University of Maryland
Marital Status Married
Wife Amy Holian
Kids Samantha Zolak ( Daughter )
Hadley Zolak and Brody Zolak (Sons)
Profession Former Football Player, Broadcaster
Position Quarterback
Affiliations New England Patriots
Miami Dolphins
Active Years 1991-1999
Net Worth $9 Million
Social Media Instagram, Twitter
Last Update March 2024

Scott Zolak | Early Life

Zolak (fully named Scott David Zolak) was born on December 13, 1967, under Sagittarius’ sun sign. He is the son of Paul Zolak, who he grew up with in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

There is no detailed information about his family background and childhood. However, we can see he had normal and comfortable days.

High School

For his early education, Scott Zolak attended Ringgold High School in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, where his father was the athletic director and the head coach.

Before enrolment in the school, Zolak served as the football team waterboy.

During that period, Zolak met the future NFL quarterback Joe Montana who gave Zolak his ball, which he keeps to date as a good luck charm.

Later, he entered the school as a starting quarterback and punter, where he also played basketball.

For the basketball team, Zolak played as the forward. However, his football was way better than it, thus, getting an invitation for the Big 33 Football Classic.

College

After completing high school, Zolak committed to the University of Maryland, majoring in business management. He commenced football with the college team in his sophomore year.

At first, Zolak played as the third-string quarterback behind Dan Henning and Neil O’Donnell. Afterward, Zolak had his college debut against West Virginia, where he posted six passes for 28 yards.

Zolak improved with his game, recording 69 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns in 1989.

After the year, Zolak, who was always a backup behind O’Donnell, commenced the game as the starter after O’Donnell graduated.

As the starter of Maryland’s team, he played under the head coach Joe Krivak where he faced Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Louisiana Tech.

Altogether, by the end of his time in Maryland, Zolak recorded 3,124 career passing yards with 2,589 yards in a season.

Scott Zolak also bagged the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times. Additionally, he stood fifth in the school’s history ranking with his 270 pass completions.

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Scott Zolak | Professional Career

After graduation with honors, Zolak appeared in the 1991 NFL Draft. Many Scouters were impressed with his body measurements and strength; however, his game accuracy was troublesome.

Subsequently, the New England Patriots drafted him as the 84th overall pick in the fourth round.

Scott Zolak
Scott Zolak During An Interview (Source: Youtube)

Similarly, Patriots’ Joe Mendes stated his accuracy was not a problem. Additionally, they signed a contract with Zolak in July.

New England Patriots

After the deal agreement, Scott Zolak starred as the third-string quarterback behind Hugh Millen and Tommy Hodson in his first season.

However, the following season in November, Zolak made his professional debut over the New Orleans Saints.

Zolak’s foremost career start came against the Indianapolis Colts, followed by his first American Football Conference (AFC) Player of the Week Award.

After a few games, he played against Atlanta, where Millen filled his spot as the starter.

Again, Zolak claimed the spot as a starter against the Kansas City Chiefs. Later for the new season, Zo played under the new head coach of the Patriots, Bill Parcells.

Eventually, he took the team’s starting position as Secules was his backup.

Moreover, during the offseason, Zolak became a restricted free agent; thus, they signed a contract extension for three years.

Following it, Zolak had to play with a $250,000 pay cut from the Patriots and was found competing with Jay Barker for his spot. He won his place and again played under the new head coach Pete Carroll.

Zolak was injured during the latter half of the 1997-1998 season as he finally appeared for the game over the San Francisco 49ers.

After his playoff games, Zolak’s three-year contract ended in 1998, and he became an unrestricted free agent.

Consequently, the Patriots didn’t re-sign him; thus, he stood without any team for the time being.

New York Jets

With the farewell of the Patriots, New York Jets signed Zolak with a year contract. However, he had to compete for the second-string quarterback against Ray Lucas.

What’s more intense is after the Jets bought in Green Bay Packers’ Rick Mirer, all three competed for two spots in the team. Unfortunately, Scott Zolak was then set free.

Miami Dolphins

After it, Miami Dolphins signed a year contract with Zolak to feature as the backup behind Damon Huard and Jim Druckenmiller. However, Scott did not start on the team as much as others.

To illustrate, his only appearance was in November against his former team, the Patriots. His single gameplay wasn’t something to consider. However, the Dolphins extended their contract for another year.

The Dolphins cut him off from the team in 2000. Afterward, Zolak tried in for the Detroit Lions, which came as a failure.

Scott Zolak ended his football career with 8 touchdowns in 7 interceptions, 1,314 yards, and a quarterback rating of 64.8.

Scott Zolak | Career Stats

Summary Career
Games Played 55
Average 4
Quarterback Record 3-4-0
Cmp% 50.0
Yards 1314
Yards gain per attempt 5.3
Passing Touchdowns 8
Interceptions thrown 7
Fantasy Points 65.8

Scott Zolak | Jersey

Zolak wore jersey number 16 for the New England Patriots of the NFL. Here’s a picture of Scott Zolak in his Patriots jersey:

scott-zolak
Scott Zolak In His Patriots Jersey (Source: NFL.com)

He played for the New England Patriots for almost 7 years, the longest term with the team in his NFL career.

Scott Zolak | Broadcasting Career

At present, Scott Zolak has worked as a professional broadcaster for almost two decades and has been serving behind the microphone since 2000. Back then, the 33-year-old footballer had no idea about the next step after ending his career.

However, Zolak commenced hosting Patriots Gameday alongside Bob Lobel in August. Later, he started working as the co-host for a morning sports radio talk show.

He continued working there on the Rhode Island sports talk station “The Score” until the show finally closed in 2008.

Zo also worked as a football analyst on the CBS College Sports Network. At the same time, he partook in the CBS College Sports Network, which Gregg Murphy hosted.

Back then, Zolak was a frequent guest host on The Big Show on WEEI in Boston. Later, he covered the 2008 NFL season for his former team, the Patriots, which also included “SportsCenter 5 OT” on Sundays with Mike Lynch.

Besides the broadcasting and coverage, Zolak also stood as the color commentator for the 2010 United Football League on the New England Sports Network.

Advancing further, Scott Zolak became the color analyst for the Patriots and started to rise as a face in that field.

Furthermore

As acclaimed, his best moment as the commentator came on October 13, 2013, when his natural reaction to Tom Brady‘s touchdown pass went viral.

Scott Zolak is a self-taught broadcaster who did not attend any professional classes.

However, his natural humor and gripping effect on the audience make him one of the most loved television icons.

Overall, Zolak currently works as a co-host of “Zolak and Bertrand” on “The Sports Hub” with Marc “Beetle” Bertrand.

He has also covered big events such as Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI, and Super Bowl LIII in the bargain.

On October 2022, Scott and Marc Bertrand expressed their views on how the Patriots handled the quarterback position in the 24 October match against the Bears. 

Bertrand called it a “full-blown disaster,” and Zo added that it was the “worst-case scenario” for the team.

One of the articles said, “Scott Zolak went full-Scott after Marcus Jones delivered a game-winning touchdown for the Patriots on 20 November match.”

The article talked about his expression, where he was seen erupting in the booth as the Jets lost badly to the Patriots (10-3) at Gillette Stadium.

As Zolak yelled, “Atta boy, Jets!” during 98.5 The Sports Hub’s broadcast.” You weren’t ready for primetime. Get your busses started. Get on the plane. See you back in New York.”

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Scott Zolak | Net Worth

As of 2024, Scott Zolak is estimated to have a net worth of $9 million.

Apparently, all the detailed figures of his earnings are missing; however, he sure earns a fortune from his present career and more.

Scott Zolak | Relationships, Wife & Children 

Currently, Zolak is a married man to his wife, Amy Holian. The duo has been going strong with each other for decades now.

They reside in Massachusetts as the couple shares three children, Hadley Zolak, Samantha Zolak, and Brody Zolak.

Scott Zolak's family
Scott Zolak’s With His Family (Source: Twitter)

However, like every family, they too have their share of problems. Scott Zolak is a responsible father who has been investigating every curable measure for Type 1 Diabetes.

This is because their daughter Samantha is diagnosed with diabetes (she has way more lacrosse). Samantha Zolak is a King Philip Regional High School freshman in Wrentham.

Nickname

Scott Zolak, often known as ‘Zo,’ is the shortcut name from Zolak. Apparently, his nickname came around during his tenure as a broadcaster, and you can often hear a chant, “ZO! ZO! ZO!!”

Many are also confused about why the star wears sunglasses indoors. Although he has a disclosed situation.

Father, Paul Zolak

In May 2020, Scott Zolak’s father, Paul Zolak, expired due to inclusion body myositis, a muscle disease.

His father was a 1965 graduate of Donora High School who worked as Ringgold High School’s athletic director.

Paul was a loving director for whom every sport mattered, and so did every child. However, it was heartbreaking with the news.

If we talk about his disease, it won’t be discovered in the patients until they aren’t diagnosed.

“We’re down one listener today and one viewer. You guys know what he meant to me. It’s tough signing off, and he’s not there. Man, he taught me everything.”
-Scott Zolak

Social Media Presence

Scott Zolak is available on social media platforms. However, his Instagram is private, but you can get his updates from Twitter.

Instagram  @scottzolak
Twitter  @scottdavidzolak

Popularity Graph

Scott Zolak is an American professional broadcaster in the New England area and a former NFL player.

Scott Zolak
Scott Zolak Popularity Graph (Source: Google)

He is popular for his commentary and reactions during the games.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What number was Scott Zolak?

During his football career, Scott Zolak starred as the number 16 and 14.

What was the earning of Scott Zolak from football?

As a New England Patriots member, Scott Zolak had a base salary of $650,000, which included a $100,000 signing bonus.

What did Bill Belichick say about Scott Zolak?

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick joked about Scott Zolak, mentioning that Zolak could be the Patriots’ emergency quarterback in 2020.

When reminded that Zolak is 53, Belichick continued the jolly attitude and said that Zolak is a strong guy and won’t take too long.

What does Scott Zolak have to do with Drew Bledsoe?

Drew Bledsoe was drafted in 1993, and then Scott Zolak became his backup for six seasons. Zolak usually played when Bledsoe was injured.

Did Scott Zolak win a Super Bowl ring?

No, Scott Zolak did not win any Super Bowl ring.

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Rajani Gurung
Rajani Gurung
Hey, I'm Rajani! As a digital content writer, I write for several websites on a wide range of topics. At Playersbio, I cover to write about hot trending celebrities and news. My professional experience makes me write the hard topics in a simplified manner for easiness.

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