On January 29, 2006, most of us shook our heads in disbelief as Zach Puchtel was announced as one of the starting five against the Indiana Hoosiers. Since transferring to Minnesota from Harvard before the 2004-05 season we had never seen the senior get more than a few minutes of playing time in any one game. But after watching Puchtel pull down numerous boards, hustle and fight for every ball, and hold one of the best players in the nation, Indiana’s Marco Killingsworth, to only 2 points in the first half, our fears subsided. The rest is history. Zach started every game for the rest of the season, became one of the “Bash Brothers” with J’son Stamper, was awarded a Big 10 player of the week honor, and was ultimately credited with saving the Gopher’s season. Puchtel shocked us again recently when he came out of the closet and told friends, family and teammates that he is gay. He speaks for the first time openly and honestly with GopherHole on his life as a Gopher, coming out of the closet, and what he his goals are for the future.

GH: How did it feel the first time your name was announced as a starter, when playing 13th ranked Indiana?
ZP: Wow… it was sweet. But it was the sweat and blood that I put into getting there that really made that experience stand apart.

GH: Was that your favorite moment as a gopher? If not, what was?
ZP: My favorite moment was anytime the crowd was raging inside The Barn. I still get goose bumps just thinking about it.

GH: What about your favorite moment off the court?
ZP: There are too many to name just one. I used to love signing autographs for fans after games, and having all sorts of people, from kids to grandparents, tell me how much they enjoyed watching me play. It made me feel as though I was making a positive impact on people's lives, and I think that's what it really is all about.

GH: It seems like football is your true passion, and you have dreams to play in the NFL. Why didn’t you play football for the U?
ZP: I wish I had. Passion is a funny thing; I’m passionate about all the sports I play. Perhaps I didn’t realize that it was a real option when I came back to Minnesota. However, my decision to go to Harvard might have been the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.

GH: So, if you had to do it all again, you'd take the same path? The allure of being Big Ten player of the week wouldn't be enough to keep you at the U?
ZP: Haha. No, I would have done it all the same. Hindsight sucks, and to look back and say "I wish I would have done this or that" is something that will hold you back from doing great things, so I try not to think about what I haven’t done.

GH: What were some of the strongest bonds you formed with the Gopher coach staff?
ZP: Coach Mo (Jim Molinari) and James (Ware) were awesome to me, and really helped me learn a lot.

GH: What did they teach you?
ZP: Coach Mo had a saying I'll never forget, "paralysis by analysis." He taught me that in order to get the best from myself, I just had to let go and let the game flow. Once I really grasped that concept it was right around the time I started to play. He's an extremely resilient man and one of the most positive thinkers I've ever been around. James is a great coach, I'm really happy that he was able to move up the coaching chain.

GH: How did you handle the initial fan/press adoration? Did the adoration turn a bit when you went back to Harvard?
ZP: I think I handled it well; besides the amount of students, Harvard and Minnesota aren’t that different from one another.

GH: How are they not that different? I should say - what are the similarities?
ZP: They both have intelligent people who are striving to make a difference in this world. Sports obviously are a much larger part of a state school, but Harvard has a great following as well.

GH: In the 2006 NIT game at Cincinnati, did you get wind of the rumors flying around about Dan Monson’s job status, or were you sheltered from that?
ZP: There are always rumors flying around, but I think we were pretty focused at that point.

GH: Were you surprised when it was announced Tubby Smith was going to be the new Gopher Basketball coach?
ZP: I was ecstatic; I think he's one of the best coaches in the history of the game

GH: Looking at the Gopher Basketball Roster this year, who do you think can be the next Zach Puchtel – getting the dirty work done, and pulling down the rebounds?
ZP: Either Spencer Tollackson or Jon Williams. I learned tons from both of those guys. I don’t think anyone can be the next "Zach Puchtel", unless they never shoot outside of 5 feet and are willing to dive off the court at any given second. Both those guys are much more talented than I ever was

GH: In your blog ( http://puchtel.blogspot.com) you said that you made a public spectacle out of yourself when you came out. What happened?
ZP: It was a spectacle because it was on stage, in front of about 3000 people. I stopped the show, walked to the front of the stage, and made my announcement that I was gay.

Zach's career Gopher stats
	GP	GS	Min	FG%	FT%	Asst	Reb	Pts
2004-05	DNP - Transfer
2005-06	23	14	16.2	55%	62%	0.7	3.3	2.4

GH: Wow. Talk about coming out with a bang!
ZP: Go big or go home.

GH: Can explain the timing of your coming out?
ZP: It just felt right.

GH: When did you first realize you might be gay?
ZP: I think most people question their sexuality growing up, but for me it had been lingering. It had been a question in my mind for quite a while.

GH: Did you try to suppress those feelings? Or questions?
ZP: Sure. Being an athlete it was unheard of to have any feelings like that, so it was kind of my little secret. I did share it with Spencer, as he was probably my best friend when I was at Minnesota.

GH: How did he react?
ZP: It didn't change anything, he was completely supportive.

GH: How did you tell your Gopher basketball teammates? How have they reacted?
ZP: I haven’t told all of them, but those of them that I did tell were great. It makes me wish I wouldn't have waited so long; it was really a burden on me. I had a few good friends who were outlets for me, including Spence, but it was very difficult not being able to express my self truly.

GH: How did you react to the stereotypical locker room talk?
ZP: I tried to ignore it

GH: Many athletes at the levels that you played at had access to women that the average college student doesn’t… did this ever present a conflict for you?
ZP: No, because I love women.

GH: You had a serious girlfriend, right?
ZP: Yes, I dated her for close to a year and half.

GH: How did she react when you told her? Was she surprised?
ZP: I had shared some feelings with her, but yeah, she was shocked. She was very understanding. For the record, I’m not gay, I am who I am.

GH: Does that mean that you are interested in dating men or women?
ZP: Women

GH: I'm a little confused, how is that coming out if you still want to date women?
ZP: I had to find out exactly where I stood with my own sexuality, and so I did.

GH: So...you experimented and realized you did want to be with women?
ZP: I’m at a point that if I met someone and loved them, I wouldn't let their gender get in the way, and I don’t think anyone should.

GH: Do you think being openly gay on a college team would negatively affect recruiting, or do you think other coaches would use it as negative recruiting?
ZP: I’m sure that it would some places, then again, smart, accepting, progressive people would most likely be attracted to it.

GH: Do you think it will affect your future goals? Do you think the NFL will ever have an openly gay/bi-sexual player?
ZP: Everything you do affects the future. I believe that they have no choice; it's discrimination if they don’t allow someone to play because of their sexual preferences

GH: What sort of backlash have you experienced, if any?
ZP: Not much, most people have thanked me for speaking out once again. It feels as though I’m helping people by being myself, and I’ll do that anytime I can.

GH: What do you want people to learn from your coming out?
ZP: I guess the take home message would be that being yourself is ok, regardless of stereotypes and other people's opinions. I believe it was Socrates who said, "Know thyself."

GH: Before you came out, athletes like Esera Tuaolo of the Vikings and former Penn State star and NBAer, John Amechi came out. Did this inspire you in any way?
ZP: I was before Amaechi, hehe, not like it’s a contest, but just to clarify. In all seriousness though, the more people who speak out, the better.

GH: I'm not sure how it is in Boston, but very few people know about this in Minnesota. Have you intentionally kept it a secret?
ZP: Not at all. I think it's important to tell people, and I have no shame relating my story to others.

GH: Besides Spencer, do you keep in close contact with a lot of your former teammates?
ZP: I talk with Mo, J’son Stamper and some others sporadically.

GH: Do you ever think there will be a current player in the NBA or NFL that comes out while he is still playing?
ZP: Sure. If I could tell the future I would say it will happen sometime soon.

GH: Do you know of many other college or professional athletes that haven't come out?
ZP: I know a few; they are usually very secretive about it.

GH: So, what's next for you? Have you graduated? Are you working? Trying to make an NFL roster?
ZP: Graduated in the spring, still living in Cambridge and working for Northwestern Mutual in financial planning. I’m hiring a personal trainer to help me get ready for next year.

GH: What is next year?
ZP: The NFL



For updates on what Zach is up to, check out: http://puchtel.blogspot.com

Talk about Zach Puchtel and the Gopher basketball team on our Gopher Basketball message board.