Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Brad Beadles is still getting used to watching his son play on Sundays.
“You always grow up watching NFL football and seeing players run across the screen and then sometimes you see your son running across the screen,” he said. “It’s so surreal. We are humbled and blessed that is for sure.”
The surreal experience has just reached a different level as the Beadles family, who live in Sandy, Utah, is in New York to watch Zane play on the biggest stage in sports. He is a starting offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos.
“We’re extremely excited,” said his step-mother Jill, who happens to be a long-time Broncos fan. “I’m extremely nervous. I always tell Zane he doesn’t have to worry.”
Zane’s brother Kaden also can’t wait to see his big brother play in the Super Bowl: “It’s just awesome seeing him out there on the field never thinking that he would ever be out there,” he said.
Zane never dreamed of playing in a Super Bowl when he was younger. His first love was baseball, but as he grew bigger and bigger and when college football coaches came calling it became obvious that his future was in football.
He was an all-state lineman at Hillcrest High School where he never missed a game. He went on to the University of Utah where he was a four-year starter and became the fourth Ute offensive lineman to earn first-team All-American honors.
You always grow up watching NFL football and seeing players run across the screen and then sometimes you see your son running across the screen. It's so surreal. We are humbled and blessed that is for sure.
–Brad Beadles
He was the Utes top offensive lineman on the 2008 team that went 13-0 and won the 2009 Sugar Bowl over Alabama.
Then he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft and has started 46 of his 48 games in his four years in the NFL.
“Becoming a professional athlete is few and far between and not a lot of people get to experience that,” Brad said. “To me it’s all about the perspective he has. It’s not just about football. That’s not what defines him. It’s the bigger picture of life and what everything means in the broader context.”
Zane has used his success on the football field to help those less fortunate.
While playing at Utah he met a 7-year old boy named Ryker Fox. Ryker lost his battle with glioblastoma cancer, and his relationship with Ryker inspired him to help children with cancer.
He established The Zane Beadles Parade Foundation which has raised more than $70,000 for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Success in the NFL has been rewarding for Zane, but his father said he’s most proud of the difference he has been able to make in the Denver community.
“He’s got his electrical engineering degree from the University of Utah, he’s got a foundation he’s set up and he’s got a solid base for life," Brad said. "To me that’s what’s nice as a parent.”
