Vandal family heads to Super Bowl for second time, Cable grateful for experience
When Zach Cable called home to tell his parents he decided to attend the University of Idaho, his father could finally show his true colors — silver and gold.
Zach Cable | Courtesy
Idaho sophomore defensive lineman Zach Cable, right, poses with former Seahawk and Vandal Benson Mayowa after Seattle’s win in Super Bowl XLVII. Cable’s father, Tom, is the offensive line and assistant head coach for Seattle heading into Sun- day’s Super Bowl against New England. Tom Cable is a former Idaho coach.“He started just belting out the (Idaho) fight song,” Cable said. “He was like ‘I never wanted to sway your interest or anything, but I always wanted you to be a Vandal.'”
The reaction shouldn’t be a surprise as Zach, who is a sophomore defensive end at Idaho, is the son of former Vandal, Tom Cable — who will coach in the Super Bowl this weekend as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line coach.
Not only did Tom Cable don Vandal colors in the mid-80s as an offensive guard for the football team, he also spent four seasons (2000-2003) as Idaho’s head coach.
“Coming back and coaching for your alma mater is a really special thing to do, I mean, he loved it,” Zach said of his father. “He tells me that Idaho is always going to be dear to his heart, and it’s even dearer now that I go here.”
After Tom bounced around to a few different coaching jobs in both college and the NFL, including a brief stint as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he found a home with the Seahawks.
When Zach took his initial visit to Moscow as a senior in high school, it was a return to a place he once called home.
“I had been talking to a couple of other (teams),” Cable said. “Then, when Idaho hired coach (Paul) Petrino, he called me and scheduled a visit. As soon as I got out here, nothing had changed, and I thought that was awesome.”
Zach lived with his father while he was the Vandals’ head coach. He said he still remembers running around the Kibbie Dome halls as a child.
As the son of a coach, Zach said he got used to all of the moving while he was growing up and it became second nature to him.
“Moving away from friends, that was hard, but it still never really bothered me,” Zach said. “After staying in a place for two years, I would kind of wonder, ‘Hey we’ve been here for two years, how come we haven’t moved yet?’ I was always waiting for the success to come somewhere else if it wasn’t at the place we were at.”
If moving was tough at one point, Zach said the perks of having a NFL coach as a father made up for it.
Zach said he not only gets the sideline gear the players and coaches wear, he was also able to meet his childhood hero, former Raiders’ quarterback Rich Gannon.
“He’s probably the best quarterback in my eyes, ever,” Zach said. “Meeting a childhood hero like that, having opportunities to do that, I mean, it was awesome.” Another perk has been his ability to learn from the pros, he said.
Zach said he’s been able to get advice from fellow defensive lineman Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril — both are current members of the Seahawks.
After last year’s spring game, Zach said he burned a copy of the film onto a DVD and brought it with him to the Seahawks’ practice facility. To his surprise, Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn sat down and watched the whole thing with him.
“He was ruthless, but I loved it,” Zach said.
Even with his father’s busy schedule, Zach said their relationship is closer than it has ever been.
“As soon as I became 16, 17, that’s truly when it became a friend relationship,” he said. “I call him everyday, talk to him on the phone everyday. It’s like we’re best buddies.”
Despite growing up as a Raider fan, Zach said he switched his allegiance to the Seahawks and will be at the game Sunday, cheering his hardest.
As for his predictions, he believes the Seahawks will come away with their second straight Super Bowl victory.
“I told everybody last year, I didn’t say it was going to be a blowout, but I said we’re going to win,” he said of last year’s Super Bowl — a game he attended and watched as the Seahawks throttled the Broncos. “Everybody is kind of saying the same thing this year … if Marshawn (Lynch) gets 25, 30 carries, we win.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]