Local butcher debuts in new Penn State documentary ‘SAVING THE ROAR’

BY SHAWN DIGITY (twitter@DIGITYnodoubt)

Michael Zordich, the owner of the Fancy Meats butcher shop, recently wrapped up his role in filming a new documentary titled “SAVING THE ROAR.” Many might not know it, but Zordich was once a guiding light for one of the biggest football programs in the country; he helped carry Penn State in 2012 after the Jerry Sandusky scandal came to light.

Zordich was going into his senior season, but he stepped into a role larger than a football player. Penn State was collapsing, and it became “an against-all-odds kind of story,” as Zordich put it. Partially by circumstance and partly by personal duty, he rose to the occasion. It’s one thing to be the senior captain of the football team — it’s something else completely “to defend an entire university” that’s spiraling into a tailspin.

The Penn State players were vaulted into the fray, but Zordich expressed that they had to take control. “At a certain point, we had to step in, too. Silence is almost as deadly as anything. Once we realized that the program needed a face, we needed a backbone, we needed something to stand on, we jumped right into it. And it was bizarre, honestly. But it’s a proud moment looking back now.”

Zordich added that they started holding meetings in coaches’ offices working on counter-recruiting defenses to prevent an exodus of athletes and ward off an influx of poaching personnel from other schools. As the Penn State captains worked to retain as many players as possible, Zordich leaned on the brotherhood that had been built over his first three years as a calling card to keep his teammates in State College. But Penn State was up against NCAA-sanctioned death penalty-style punishments. Penn State student-athletes could transfer with immediate eligibility to any other school. And the program wasn’t able to play for a Big Ten Championship or earn a bowl berth for four seasons. In fact, even some of Penn State’s victories from the 2011 season were vacated. The task might’ve seemed insurmountable with all the opportunities players were given to jump ship and start fresh elsewhere, and those battles lasted all year; players could still transfer midway through the season if they so desired. “That was the whole season, Zordich stated, but he reminded that football was only one facet, “Half the battles weren’t even about football: public relations and crisis management.”

Part of Michael Zordich’s fight — part of the entire team’s fight — in 2012 was on a front against uninformed or possibly even disingenuous media coverage. In a whirlwind of misinformation from media outlets, rumors even circulated about Penn State not having a football team: “All these stories are being told, but none of them are true. The truth just wasn’t getting out there.” But they did field a team. “The whole thing was unprecedented at the time. It was a mass of chaos induced by the media, just pushing stuff. And people were making decisions based on what the media wanted instead of the truth.”

While fending off inaccurate reports, propping up the school, and playing football, Michael opened up about one of the toughest decisions of that season: “My biggest challenge was putting myself on the back burner. We have goals and dreams to play in the NFL,” he explained. It was something the whole team had to sacrifice. Dozens of players working toward a lifelong dream of playing professional ball were suddenly asked to set it aside. And for NFL hopefuls, being cast into a firestorm of 2012’s magnitude was a tough ask — for all intents and purposes, it was unfair. But Zordich doesn’t like looking at it that way: “We hate saying that. There were an ungodly amount of victims that were affected.” He understood the toll the scandal took on the children that had been involved.

Zordich saw athletes, students, alumni, and fans treated as if they had personally played a role in the tragedy. Players were being accused and received death threats. Students and alumni were being judged and scoffed at. But from Zordich’s perspective, it helped build a stronger bond within the community. “Looking back now, it was such a close feeling between the player and the fan. We were all taking the same flag. Students were getting called the same thing as players. It kind of brought us all together even more.”

SAVING THE ROAR debuted on Sept.17, and according to the film’s synopsis, it’s the “true story about the 2012 Penn State Football Team who rose from the ashes and defined what it means to have success with honor. Fueled by childhood dreams and legacy bloodlines, this team of warriors stayed and fought for something much greater than football.” And Michael shared many of those sentiments: “It’s really just an awesome story about how what can happen when you play for something bigger than yourself and the effects of how communities can rally and bonds of brotherhood are more meaningful than the fame and fortune.”

The film was filmed and directed by Michael P. Nash, and it features appearances from several well-known Penn State coaches and football players: Saquon Barkley, Mike Farrell, Craig Fitzgerald, Franco Harris, Jordan Hill, Michael Mauti, Matt McGloin, Stephon Morris, Bill O'Brien, and of course, Michael Zordich. More information on the documentary can be found at savingtheroar.com.