Article archive / November 1, 2015
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 11. Source pages: 13.
Zach DeGrange was a long shot, choosing to attend University of Louisiana Lafayette and hoping to play some football. He paid his dues as a walk-on, pushed to be on special teams, and now Zach in one of the team’s key contributors.
Psychologist mom, Dr. Lucinda DeGrange is proud, worries a little, but completely enjoys Zach’s love of the game and determination to do the best he can for the Cajuns.
“I am really enjoying seeing how happy Zack is,” said Dr. Lucinda DeGrange, licensed psychologist and President Elect of the Louisiana Psychological Association. “He has worked hard for this opportunity and it’s a joy for me to see his efforts rewarded,” she said.
Head coach of the Cajuns agrees. Mark Hudspeth told the Lafayette Advertiser, that Zach was one of those who just do not give up.
“The guy always has been, to me, an overachiever-type kid that you just can’t keep off the field,” said Hudspeth to sports reporter Tim Buckely.
“Those are special guys,” Hudspeth said. “A lot of guys aren’t like that. A lot of guys give up. A lot of guys hang it up. They don’t see that they’re gonna get to play, and they’re not playing. But Zach has been a competitor since he’s been here.”
“The guy’s just a warrior,” said Hudspeth to the Advertiser. He added that DeGrange was in on about 50 snaps including special-
team duties against the Demons. “He’s really smart and, boy, he loves being a Ragin’ Cajun. … I’m a Zach DeGrange fan.”
Dr. DeGrange said, “One of the most exciting experiences for me was seeing him on TV in the game against University of Kentucky, the first game of the season, played in the Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington,” she said. “When he got his first quarterback sack the camera focused on him and I could read his face through the mask. To play on such a stage was a dream realized.”
And yes moms, she does worry a bit. “I am scared for him every time he steps out on the field, but this is his dream and he has 100 percent of my support,” she said. “I help him any way I can. I talk on the phone with him nearly every day. Before his games he will call and we’ll talk for just a few minutes about what’s coming up and how he feels.”
But, Dr. DeGrange has her hands full as a busy professional. And she and her husband have two other children, Madeleine and Daniel. Maddie is a sophomore at the University of Miami majoring in Biology and Chemistry and plans to go to medical school like her dad.
“Maddie also dances with Miami’s dance team the Huricanettes,” DeGrange said. “I just visited her in Miami and had the opportunity to see her perform at Miami’s football game. Our youngest son Daniel is a junior at Jesuit High School and
he was just induced into the National Honor Society,” she said. “I am enjoying just being a part of their lives.”
Zach seems certain to have continued success. He graduated in May with a degree in Criminal Justice and is
staying this semester to play his final year of eligibility. Search for stories and photos of Zach at the Lafayette Advertiser, he’s covered at:
http://www.theadvertiser.com/st ory/sports/college/football/2015/ 09/19/hard-work-serves-cajun- walk–degrange-well/72396488/
Zach DeGrange, key contributor on the University of Louisiana Lafayette football team. Zach’s mom is psychologist and president elect of LPA, Dr. Lucinda DeGrange.
(Courtesy photo.)
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.