It didn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize Colston Loveland was special. He was already a big name on the peewee circuit before reaching high school. This was somebody who willingly accepted playing against fifth and sixth-graders despite only being in fourth grade because it allowed him to play tackle football. He was a beast. That legend only grew at Gooding High School, where he transformed into an all-in-one offensive weapon that could do everything on the field. He made the team a state championship contender almost by himself.
As this legend unfolded, those around him recognized the inevitable was happening. Loveland was destined for the NFL. He was too big, too strong, too fast, and too good, as Stacey King would say. One person who knew it better than most was Gooding’s weightlifting coach, Joey Zubizarreta. He had a front row seat for Loveland’s transformation from regular kid to bulked-up specimen. It got to a point where Zubizarreta decided to call his shot. According to Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times, he predicted Loveland would not only reach the NFL, but even revealed which team he’d play for.
As Loveland was still a high schooler turning into something special, Zubizarreta predicted to him often that he would make it all the way and play for — yep — the Bears. Then again, Zubizarreta happened to be such a Bears fan that he had an Urlacher jersey and a dog named Briggs. How about that?
Chad Loveland always rooted for the Broncos, seemingly a more natural preference for an Idahoan.
“I’ve got a new favorite team now,” he said.
Colston Loveland was manifested to the Bears, it seems.
Fate has a funny way of playing a role in these things. The timing had to be perfect. Colston Loveland needed to declare for the NFL draft right when the Bears were in a transition period. They had to hire a head coach (Ben Johnson) who liked to heavily feature tight ends in his offense. Last but not least, he needed the draft board to fall so that no players at greater positions of need, like running back or pass rusher, were available. Not only that, but this was all while battling against Tyler Warren, whom many felt was the better overall tight end in this class. So many things had to go right for Loveland to end up in Chicago. Maybe Mr. Zubizarreta was from the future like Marty McFly. Whatever the case, this story will become part of Loveland’s folklore if he becomes a great player.
