2004 National Championships - Ethan Zohn Talks about Pop Warner Days

Note: After 39 days on a physical and emotional roller coaster, Ethan Zohn was the winner of a million-dollar prize and earned the title of SURVIVOR AFRICA's Sole Survivor. Since then, he started a non-profit organization, Grassroot Soccer (http://www.grassrootsoccer.org), an AIDS service organization that aims to reduce the spread of HIV by training well-known African players to educate at-risk youths about the dangers of HIV infection and about the most effective ways to protect themselves.

(Sept. 17, 2002) ZOHN - I grew up in Lexington, Mass., so naturally I have been a Patriots fan since I was a little kid. Some of my fondest memories are of my dad taking my two older brothers and me to a game. My dad worked at a printing company and every year for the company outing, we would all go to a Patriots game.

Once a year, we would pile into the car and head off to Foxboro. Inevitably it would be a freezing cold day. What I remember most about going was we would tailgate and barbeque in the parking lot. I don't recall who won or lost the games we went to, or even who the opponents were, but I still shiver thinking about how cold it was.

As a kid, I played Pop Warner football for three years in the fifth through seventh grades. I was pretty quick, so they put me at running back. "33 Dive" was my play. We ran that play over and over and over again. I also played defensive back, but looking back I think I should have stuck to offense. In my third year we were playing Burlington, Mass., and I broke my collarbone making a tackle. That was pretty much the end of my football career. But let the record show that after making the tackle, I finished the game before going to the hospital for X-rays!

What's funny is that I used to wear a mesh Patriots jersey when I played Pop Warner. I wore that thing every day. I actually still have the jersey. At my mom's house I have a giant stuffed monkey from my childhood. A few years ago I put the jersey on the monkey and it's still there today.

As I said, I was always a Patriots fan growing up. I was also a little bit of a Cowboys fan, because they were so popular when I was a kid. Now I live in New York City so I follow the Giants and Jets a little, but the Patriots are still my team. My roommates and friends and I get together and watch games on Sundays whenever we can.

As you can imagine, last year was a great year to be a Patriots fan. We watched the AFC Divisional Playoff game against Oakland at my apartment. That was the game with all the snow and the "incomplete pass" and the field goal … just in case you forgot. After the Pats beat the Steelers, a bunch of friends and I rented out a bar to watch the Super Bowl. We had the usual assortment of drinks and wings and nachos and just about every other food group. Being that we were in New York City, about half of us were Patriots fans and the other half were rooting against the Patriots. That day and the game itself were so fun.

I can't believe the new season has started up already. But it's nice to know the Patriots are still Super Bowl champions for at least another few months, and more, I hope.