Mama's (very big) boy

Zach Hurd wants you to know something right away.

He's a mama's boy.

And he's damn proud to be one.

"Anyone that you talk to that knows me knows that I'm a mama's boy," Hurd says.

That's quite an admission from a 21-year-old young man who stands 6 feet 7, weighs 325 pounds, is one of the most feared offensive linemen in college football and will likely land in one of 31 NFL cities a year from now.

But Zachary Graham Hurd, the pride of Waterford High School and an integral part of UConn's rapid ascent into big-time college football, doesn't mind that label one bit.

"I always go out and pretty much play the game for my mom," says Hurd, who begins his senior season Saturday when the Huskies visit Michigan. "I see how much she loves watching me play and it really drives me."

Susan Hurd will be at the game, just like she has been for all but one of her son's previous 39 college games.

But there's also his grandmother, Audrey Wright, a regular at Rentschler Field, and older sisters Laura (31) and Melissa (27).

"I'm the baby boy," Hurd explains. "I grew up with women, I've been raised by women and I'm lucky. I have great relationships with my sisters, which is something that makes me very proud. I will always be there to take care of my mom … and the same with my sisters."

But while the women in Zach Hurd's life have helped shape him as an athlete and person, it was his father Graham, who died of lung cancer when Zach was only 12, and grandfather Victor Wright, who passed away this year on Father's Day, who are never far from his thoughts.

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Graham Hurd was a proud Englishman, serving in the English navy until a year after Susan gave birth to Laura. Susan also grew up in England, so when Graham suggested the young family up and move to New Zealand, Susan balked.

"We don't know anybody," she told her husband, countering, "at least in the States I have an aunt, so if we get into trouble at least we can get some help."

So they sold their home in Barton-upon-Humber, a tiny coastal town of 10,000 in northeast England, and moved to the United States, where they lived in a hotel for three weeks, rented a house in Gales Ferry after both landed jobs, and eventually built their first home in Quaker Hill.

They were later joined by Susan's parents, the Wrights.

"We fell in love with America," Susan says. "And my husband got into football straight away. He was a true Giants fan from day one. He would sit and watch football every Sunday."

Graham, however, never saw Zach play football, although he knew his son was interested.

"I was a baseball kid growing up," Zach says. "But my dad never pushed me. He was just laid back. He would sit in the back of his truck in a lawn chair and just watch me play baseball. He would help me, but wasn't the type to get all over me.

"Then one day, I forget exactly how old I was, I said, 'Dad, I want to play football.' So he signed me up, I made the weight limit and everything, and that's when he got sick with the lung cancer and I just wasn't into it. I did like three practices and that was it. I didn't play football again until my freshman year of high school."

He joined the Waterford freshman team because "all my friends were playing, so what else was I going to do during the fall."

Immediately, he bonded with freshman coaches Tom Sullivan and Rich Sylvia, who told him, "If you really put your mind to this someday you could be playing for Notre Dame or another big school. They were really the ones that got me started, and it grew from there with coach John."

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"Coach John" is John Strecker, Waterford's veteran varsity line coach, and Hurd caught his attention right away.

"He was hard to miss," Strecker says. "Even back then he was the biggest kid on the team."

But Hurd also came with the reputation for being soft.

"That's true," Strecker recalls. "But you've also got to remember he had never played football before, plus I know his mom put it in his head early on not to hurt anybody because he was so big."

You will get no denial from Susan.

"Zachary was so much bigger than the other kids," she says. "And yes, I was frightened he might hurt them."

Strecker, however, discovered something else about his young lineman.

"He liked to be challenged," Strecker says. "And he never failed to meet a challenge. He's still doing that."

Strecker remembers a game against Windham during Hurd's senior year.

"Zach was playing defensive tackle and Windham likes to run this belly play," Strecker says. "I told Zach, 'If they run belly it's your fault. They're going to need this play three or four times tonight and you've got to be there.' … And guess what? They didn't run belly."

Hurd and Strecker grew so close that they talk at least once a week and Hurd considers him a second father.

"John Strecker has been wonderful to Zachary," Susan says. "For Father's Day, ever since I can remember, Zachary's given him a Father's Day card. He's a very calming influence."

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That bond grew even stronger in June after Zach's grandfather died following a brief illness. Victor Wright was 79.

Like Zach, Wright always stood tall and proud. Wright served in the Grenadier Guards and was stationed at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

Wright served as a pallbearer for the funeral of King George VI in 1952, and was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal that same year for his personal service to the Queen of England.

But even though Victor Wright loved his country, nothing compared to his love of family. That's why he and Audrey later followed his daughter and Graham to Connecticut, where they shared the same home and proudly followed the exploits of all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In fact, prior to his death, Victor had just started building a tree fort for great-grandson Cameron, 8, in the woods behind the Hurds' house.

Enter Strecker … again.

"My grandfather was building this elaborate thing that looks like a house … and he didn't get to finish it," Hurd says, "so coach John and I finished it together. That was awesome. I haven't felt that sort of father bond and I felt that with him. I'm lucky to have people like that in my life."

Strecker downplays his role, saying, "For Zach that became a symbol of something he could do for his grandfather and he finished that fort. His grandfather did all the little odd jobs and Zach didn't have that kind of experience, so I was more than happy to help out."

It brought some closure, Susan says, to a "bittersweet summer."

"Not only did Zachary have to walk his sister down the aisle when it should have been his father," she says, "but his grandfather is in the hospital and two weeks later he passes away. That's what being a family is, though. You do what you have to do."

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In 24 hours, Zach Hurd - one of four UConn captains - will lead the Huskies onto the field at Michigan Stadium before what is expected to be the largest crowd to ever witness a college football game (113,000 people).

It's Hurd's last go-round with a program that has helped him mature on so many levels. He was a first-team All-Big East selection at right guard a year ago, is on several preseason All-America lists and is projected to go high in the 2011 NFL draft. He has even been nominated for a national award to honor his community service.

"When he came to us he was a big, tall lean guy who had athletic ability and could run, but was raw as a football player," UConn offensive line coach Mike Foley says. "But his work ethic is what has really made him come on. He keeps getting better and better, particularly in the physical aspect, and he's got a lot of confidence.

"The sky's the limit for him. He's been the total package, which is great to see. I think he's got that type of ability (to play in the NFL). For a guy his size, he can really run. I think he's got the tools to do it,"

But all of that can wait for now.

"I'm just worried about winning games and proving to people that last year wasn't a fluke," Hurd says, "… and it's going to happen again this year."

Still, he remains humble about all the accolades being floated in his direction.

"I don't want to be recognized for my community service," Hurd says, "I just want to be recognized as a good person. When it's all said and done 20 years from now and people are saying, 'Oh, Zach Hurd went to UConn and he had a great career.' I want it to be 'Zach Hurd was a good person, he did things for other people and was a family person.'

"That's all that matters to me."

Strecker took it a step further.

"Zach's a great example of a guy whose got it all right," he says. "He's turned into one of those big scary guys you see on Sunday, but you know what? If something happens and he doesn't play in the NFL, it will be OK because he's got his priorities in the right place. He's a great example for all of the kids out there."