Zander Diamont

Zander Diamont
No. 12
PositionQuarterback
MajorTelecommunications
Personal information
Born: (1995-02-16) February 16, 1995 (age 29)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolVenice High School (Los Angeles, California)

Alexander Diamont[1] (born February 16, 1995) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Early life

Diamont attended and played football at Venice High School in Los Angeles.[2]

College career

2014 season

After starting quarterback Nate Sudfeld suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the game against Iowa,[3][4] Diamont was named the new starter over fellow backup Chris Covington[5] and started in the last six games of the season, passing for one touchdown and four interceptions. He rushed for an additional two touchdowns, including a game-winning score with 27 seconds remaining against rival Purdue.[2] A photograph of Diamont celebrating the win over Purdue by smoking a cigar while holding the Old Oaken Bucket in the locker room went viral, earning Diamont comparisons to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel[6] and public congratulations from actor Adam Sandler, whose film Anger Management also included Diamont's father Don Diamont in a small acting role.[7]

2015 season

Diamont played in two games in 2015, again in relief of Sudfeld, who missed time with an ankle injury.[8] He rushed for two touchdowns, including a 79-yard rushing touchdown against Ohio State, the longest rush by a quarterback in Hoosiers history. Sudfeld returned to the starting lineup in time for the Pinstripe Bowl against Duke.[2]

2016 season

Diamont passed for one touchdown and one interception in eight games, rushing for an additional four touchdowns.[2]

At the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Diamont announced that he would retire from football after Indiana's upcoming bowl game, citing concerns about brain injuries in football[9][10] and admitting that he had sustained a high number of concussions in his career.[11]

He would start in the Foster Farms Bowl against Utah, his last football game.[2]

Personal life

Diamont is Jewish.[12] After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington, Diamont claimed that one of his football coaches, who knew of Diamont's Jewish ancestry, referred to Adolf Hitler as a "great leader" in a conversation about leadership that included Diamont. Diamont did not specify which coach made the remark; head coach Kevin Wilson was dismissed from the program after Diamont's final season amid allegations of mistreatment of players.[13][14]

Diamont is the son of soap opera actor Don Diamont and the stepson of actress Cindy Ambuehl.[1][15] His brother Luca played quarterback for the Duke Blue Devils.[16]

Diamont returned to Los Angeles after graduating from Indiana and became a real estate agent selling luxury properties.[16][17] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the real estate market, he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he co-founded a real estate development company specializing in luxury tiny homes.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b Woods, David (October 22, 2014). "'Bold and Beautiful' star's son now IU's QB". Courier Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Zander Diamont". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Woods, David (October 27, 2014). "Wilson on Diamont: 'It's not his job to lose; it's his job to play better'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  4. ^ "Get to know, Indiana: The mysterious case of Hoosiers, Zander Diamont and a tractor story". MLive Media Group. October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Woods, David (October 15, 2024). "Indiana Hoosiers down to third-string quarterback". USA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Woods, David (November 30, 2014). "Zander Diamont's cigar photo causes sensation on Internet". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Woods, David (December 8, 2014). "Adam Sandler gives shout-out to IU QB ... and advice on cigars". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  8. ^ "Sudfeld Strong In Return From Injury". Indiana University Athletics. October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Wittry, Andy (November 26, 2016). "IU's Zander Diamont to quit football after bowl: 'I need my brain'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Knowlton, Emmett (November 28, 2016). "21-year-old Indiana quarterback says he's quitting football after the season: 'I need my brain'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "Zander Diamont to quit football after bowl game". ESPN. November 27, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Cotton, Eddie (April 5, 2017). "Zander Diamont gets inducted into the IU Jewish Sports Wall of Fame". The Crimson Quarry. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Chiari, Mike (July 11, 2018). "Ex-Indiana QB Zander Diamont Says Coach Praised Adolf Hitler". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Crawford, Brad (July 10, 2018). "Former Indiana QB Zander Diamont says coach referenced Hitler". 247Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "New Indiana QB Zander Diamont's stepmother was on Seinfeld". Sports Illustrated. October 15, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Sondheimer, Eric (September 29, 2019). "Zander Diamont goes from college quarterback to luxury estate agent". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Benbow, Dana Hunsinger (December 10, 2019). "Former IU quarterback Zander Diamont is selling $6 million houses in L.A." The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Benbow, Dana Hunsinger (December 29, 2020). "Former IU QB Zander Diamont a real estate phenom". The Herald-Times. Retrieved December 25, 2024.