WSU's Jewish Quarterback Attributes Success to God, and His Mom
Zevi Eckhaus has achieved a sports career that so many Jewish kids only dream of.
“Every time I put on my pads and go outside and throw a football, I know that’s with God’s help.”
We Jews tend to scour lists of names for fellow members of the tribe, but it’s more common to find Jews in movie credits than on rosters of professional and semi-professional sports. So I was excited to learn that the Washington State University Cougars’ quarterback is a Jewish guy who went to day school and takes his Jewish identity seriously. I hope you enjoy this uplifting, post-Thanksgiving conversation with Zevi Eckhaus.
Washington State University is a huge football school, and their quarterback is a Jewish guy. How do you like it at WSU? How’s your football career going?
It’s been amazing. It’s really been a blessing to be a part of something so special as it is here. I couldn’t ask for anything more. As a kid growing up, I was always infatuated by the game of football and wanted to play at a high level. When I first went to college, I attended Bryant University [in Smithfield, Rhode Island], which is a great university scholastically, but not known for its athletics. The games I watched as a kid were with teams kind of the same caliber as Washington State. When I was in the transfer portal and found out I had the opportunity to come here on a scholarship, it was a no-brainer. Everything on top of that has just been a blessing.
How did you get into football in the first place? It’s not a common path for a Jewish kid.
My parents split when I was one; my dad went back to New York where they’re both from. My mom was always very into sports. That was a commonality between my mom and my dad — they both enjoyed watching sports together. Every Sunday for me, there was football on the TV. So naturally I gravitated toward playing. My mom was a big fan of getting us out of the house, staying active, making friends, and finding extracurricular activities. She was a huge influence in getting me into football.
At what point did you realize, “This is going to be my future”?
With the way my mom spoke to me, it was at a really young age. She’s always believed in me probably more than I believed in myself. She instilled those things in me since I was a kid. It’s not very common that Jewish people get into sports and carry it out long-term, but she always told me whatever I put my mind to, I can achieve. I really appreciated football and she wasn’t going to take that away from me.
Tell me a little bit about your upbringing. You went to a Jewish day school. What was your childhood like religiously? What was your home like?
I grew up with two older sisters, and when I was about eight, I got two little brothers. I went to Cheder Menachem in Los Angeles for all of elementary school and most of middle school. We were not extremely Orthodox in the household. We didn’t keep kosher 100 percent of the time. My mom didn’t allow non-kosher in the house, but outside the house we sometimes ate non-kosher. Inside the house she kept everything pure.
Shabbos was tricky because sports are played on Fridays and Saturdays. But my mom wanted us to have a strong connection with religion because that’s what she grew up with. As we got older, past bar and bat mitzvah age, she kept the regimen in the house but allowed us to do our own things.
For example, when I was 13, I started davening with tefillin. I did that for a while, then I diverted away from it. She wasn’t going to force me. Thankfully, I’ve had interactions in my life that brought me back to davening every single day with Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam [i.e., two sets of tefillin].
But it wasn’t something that she was going to force me to do. My mom wanted me to do this because it matters to me and I care about it, you know? So that was kind of her logic behind raising us as far as the connection with Judaism.
Can you tell me about your connection to Judaism nowadays, especially in this very non-Jewish world you’re in?
It’s been tricky being in remote spots like Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Pullman, Washington. But the things she instilled in me I still hold true today. For the holidays, I observe them. I wasn’t at practice or the facility all day on Yom Kippur. My coach was very understanding. That was something that I had to honor because it’s what I believe in and it’s what I believe is right.
Shabbos is still tricky because we play on Saturdays. Eating kosher all the time is also hard because of the cafeteria and being at the facility most of the day. But I wake up every morning and put on tefillin. I read mishnayos every week. There’s a small Hillel group here I can meet with sometimes. I try to keep as much as I can with my religion.
Do you bring your religious outlook or your relationship to God or Judaism into your game mentality? Or is football separate?
I’m a big believer that everything that’s done is through God. Every time I put on my pads and go outside and throw a football, I know that’s with God’s help. Every game, I go to the 18-yard line, get down on a knee, and pray — just thank Him for all He’s done for me and continues to do. Playing football is something I do, but the human I am — that’s a lot more. I’m not that person without God.
Religion is a huge factor in my sport. A lot of people on the team are curious about Judaism and ask me questions. It’s cool at times. Football and anything I do in my life is completely intertwined with my religion.
Is the significance of the 18-yard line “chai”?
Yes.
Do you find the reception to you being Jewish is positive among teammates? Are there any challenges?
Not really. Everybody comes from different backgrounds, families, upbringings, religions. There are so many differences on a football team, yet still so much love, trust, and connection because of what you go through together. That’s the beauty in football. People may have opinions, but when you’ve been through a lot together, you look past differences.
And I don’t say that because people look at me differently because I’m Jewish. I say that because the team genuinely loves me regardless of whether I’m Jewish, Christian, Catholic, whatever. There’s no judgment. I even had two Palestinian offensive linemen in my college career, and those guys were some of the nicest to me. There’s no bickering or tension around religion, at least not in my experience.
Let’s talk about the game for a second. How are you feeling about the season? There’s a lot of pressure on you as a quarterback — how do you handle that?
I try not to put too much pressure on myself. When you prepare, have a great team and coaches, a good game plan, and have done the things you need to do, there isn’t much pressure, only what you put on yourself. I try to do my job every week so that on game day there’s less tension and more free will.
I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I know what it comes with. You never stop learning. But you don’t just wake up on Saturday and say, “I’m ready to go and have the best game of my life.” There are steps throughout the week that make you feel confident. It’s about preparation and doing the things that help you perform at your best. It’s no different than you preparing for an interview — same idea.
What are you studying at WSU?
I graduated in May with my bachelor’s in social sciences. Right now I’m pursuing my master’s in strategic communication.
What do you want to do after you graduate, or after football?
I’d love to play football as long as I possibly can. It’s always been the dream to play in the NFL. If that opportunity comes, I’ll take it. But when my football career ends, I’d like to stay in the game, either as a sports analyst or a sports commentator. When I was younger, I always watched the NFL channel and listened to the commentators. I’ve always had an interest in that. The strategic communication master’s program matches those communication aspects. That would be a cool gig if I wasn’t playing football.
Thanks so much for chatting with me. Is there anything you want to add?
No — just go Cougs.
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Great interview, great kid, great mom. Thanks for giving us something positive for Thanksgiving.
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