On July 20, 2012, Zack Golditch was watching The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Twenty minutes into the film, Golditch and other moviegoers would be subject to one of the largest mass shootings in U.S. modern history -- 12 people were killed and 70 were injured. Golditch, who was 17 at the time, survived a gunshot wound to the neck. Nearly six years later, he's hoping the NFL will be the next step in his remarkable journey from that fateful night.
"I hope when teams watch my film they see a guy who's a competitor, someone who is not afraid and won't back down from a challenge," Golditch told USA Today. "Doesn't matter if you're bigger than me or better than me, I'm going to come back every single play and give my best effort and try to be better the next play."
In December 2017, Golditch graduated from Colorado State University, where he played offensive tackle for the Rams. As a senior, he was named to the All-Mountain West first team. Since graduation, the 23-year-old has been actively pursuing his goal of becoming an NFL draft pick by training and meeting with team scouts.
Golditch isn't using football as an escape from the horror that he survived nearly six years ago.
"I never stopped and realized this is part of my story. I shouldn't push that away, because what I hold on to right now is a story, not just about myself, but about of everyone else. I can carry that and represent them through what I do and how I carry myself," Golditch told USA Today. "I have to embrace it."
