AURORA, Colo. — College signing day features all kinds of great stories across the nation. One of the best is in Aurora.
Zack Golditch is one of the Century 16 theaters shooting victims. He attends Gateway High School where he played defensive lineman for the football team.
And Wednesday he showed he’s moving forward with his life, past the shooting, past high school and on to college where he looks forward to playing football for Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
He signed his letter of intent to join CSU Wednesday. “When I was a little kid, this was like a dream,” Golditch says.
But his dream come true almost never happened.
Golditch was among the 58 people shot and injured in the theater shooting. He took a bullet in the neck.
What happened served as a “stop and observe moment” in the young man’s life. “Makes you appreciate the little things and just take a second to look at everything around you.”
But it hardly slowed him from a speedy return to the football field. He was back at practice two weeks after the July 20 shooting and he was back to competing full time after just one month.
“He didn’t miss a rep, didn’t miss a practice,” says Gateway athletic director Justin Hoffman. “He was never late to a class; he was the same guy before as he was after.”
Having faced this adversity, Zack Golditch is ready to take his talents to the Rams in Fort Collins.
His family and friends, of course, plan to attend his games.
The Rams coaching staff is talking about possibly of moving him to the other side of the ball and playing Golditch at offensive tackle.