Terry's nephew in 12th Man Magazine...

Scott88 · Oct 26, 2008

You have to be a 12th man Foundation member to read this, so I hope it's OK to post the whole thing...

I thought you guys might like to read a little bit about Terry O's nephew.

Sounds like a very good rep for my University!!

Draped in blue and gold, Matt Van Zandt’s first
trip to Aggieland was to cheer, cheer for ol’
Notre Dame when his favorite football team
took on the Aggies at Kyle Field in 2001.
But as he was sitting high atop the Zone, and just as
Texas A&M fans began to “saw Varsity’s horns off,” Van
Zandt slowly began to have a change of heart.
Notre Dame may have
had the shiny helmets and
well-chronicled history, but
the sense of togetherness
and family that an Aggie
sporting event can showcase
proved too much to
ignore.
“That was the first time I
had ever been to College
Station,” said Van Zandt,
whose brother David was a
freshman at A&M at the
time. “I just started changing
a little bit and loving the
Aggie spirit. I do remember
sawing the horns off when I
was wearing my blue and
gold thinking this was pretty
cool.”
Van Zandt was hooked,
and the Houston golf standout
suddenly found himself
accepting an athletic scholarship
at A&M three years
later. It would be a lifechanging
move for the
Missouri City Elkins product,
as the engaging Van
Zandt would dive headfirst
into all that Texas
A&M has to offer.
While Van Zandt is a two-time Academic All-American
and is on course to earn an undergraduate degree in
accounting and a Master’s degree in finance, the senior
golfer certainly has taken advantage of A&M’s famed
“other education.”
From being named president of the Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee to leading the “Aggies Can” food
drive, Van Zandt has immersed himself in the A&M community.
“One of the questions they asked us this year for the
media guide was, ‘What is one thing you would like to
change about the world?’” Van Zandt said. “I just wish we
all lived in community a little bit more and leaned on each
other a little bit more. I love giving back. That’s why I’ve
done Aggie Athletes Involved or SAAC or anything that’s
allowed me to give back.”
Very few student-athletes on the A&M campus, if any,
may have given so much of their time and personality in
order to help others. Van Zandt has been mentoring
under-privileged kids in Houston for several years, and
he and his roommates at A&M often head to Bryan on a
whim to play basketball with the locals just to brighten up
someone’s day.
But it was Van Zandt’s church-sponsored, summer
mission trip to Zimbabwe on the African continent that
really brought home his desire to reach out to others.
“We got to work with 75 AIDS orphans there,” Van
Zandt said. “It’s a life-changing experience. You always
hear that we should be thankful for what we have, and
you sure do. But the biggest thing I learned is they don’t
have anything over there but each other. But they have so
much joy just having each other.
“It’s hard to put it into words. You just see how sweet it
is to let other people come into your life and you let yourself
into other people’s lives instead of isolating yourself.”
As Van Zandt recalled his trip to starvation-ravaged
Zimbabwe that is in its own economic crisis, he was sitting
in a plush chair in the players’ lounge at the Paul
Wahlberg Golf Learning Center at Traditions Golf Club.
It’s as opulent a setting and venue for a college golf team
as there is in the country.
And yet, Van Zandt didn’t feel guilty for relaxing in
luxury at a pristine golf course as part of a special university.
“Yeah, this stuff is nice and I have great opportunities
with this golf team, but it really doesn’t matter,” Van
Zandt added. “It’s not going to bring everlasting joy in
your life. In 20 years, this building could be rotting away
and we’ll need something new.
“You go over (to Africa) thinking how much can I help
them. When you leave, you think they don’t need my
help. They taught me life lessons. If hope is found in anything
material or if it’s money or success or even longevity
of life, the people of Africa don’t have any hope. Their
average life span is 31. They may only live 31 years, but
they’re going to be more joyful and have a greater 31
years than if we have 81 years over here.”
Many college seniors aren’t sure what they’re going to
do with their lives, but Van Zandt has several options. He
has a standing job offer with Price Waterhouse and Coopers as an accountant, and he recently applied to
enter the Teach For America program, which helps
bridge the education inequities between lower economic
areas and those of the middle or upper class.
In any case, there’s no doubt Van Zandt will be
involved in his community and trying to help others.
It’s a personality trait he developed ever since his Aggie
brother developed muscular dystrophy and had to be
confined to a wheelchair since the fourth grade.
Van Zandt has watched his mother, Patti, care incessantly
for his older brother to this day.
“My mom is my hero,” Van Zandt said. “She has sacrificed
her whole life for my brother. I’ve seen the active
service in my mom, not in the community but more just
at the house. I always wished my mom could just get
out and go do something she wanted to do. But she’s
got to take care of my brother. That has always been
very relevant in my life.”
Another Van Zandt, sister Robin, has begun her college
life at Texas A&M, and over the next six months,
Matt will try to lead the Aggies to a Big 12 title—and a
national title—in men’s golf.
He can hardly think about his career at A&M being
over, and neither can his head coach, J.T. Higgins.
“Matt wants his team to be great, his community to
be great and his university to be great,” Higgins says.
“He wants everyone else to be successful, and he’s willing
to do whatever it takes for everyone else to achieve
their goals. He’s selfless. It’s amazing.
“He’s not the most talented guy we have on the
team, but ever since he got here, I nicknamed him
‘Nails’ because he never quits; he has a great attitude;
he’ll out-work you; he’ll out-think you; he grinds on
every shot; and he won’t quit until the ball is in the hole
on 18. Usually, that’s enough to beat a lot of guys who
have superior talent to him.”
The Aggies return four of their top players from a year
ago, and Van Zandt, who was always one of the chosen
five for every spring tournament in 2008, will be a major
contributor as Higgins rolls out perhaps his best team.
A&M has already won one fall tournament in Rhode
Island, and the Aggies will be chasing perennial power
Oklahoma State for the Big 12 title in the spring.
“The sky’s the limit talent-wise,” Van Zandt said. “I
think we have some mental things to work on. That’s the
beauty of the fall, you can fine-tune things and then go
into the spring ready to go.
“OSU is a great golf team, and you can’t take that away
from them. So if you can win the Big 12, you can win the
national championship. If you can beat them in the Big 12,
there’s no reason you can’t beat them at nationals. It’s just
one of those things that we need to adopt the mentality
that we’ re just as good as they are and go out there and
go toe-to-toe with them.”
Even if the Aggies don’t accomplish their goals on the
golf course, Matt Van Zandt will be just fine. He’ll be the
consummate, loyal former student who continuously
gives back to his university.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” he said.
“My best friends are here. And the community of Bryan-
College Station, I don’t know how I’m going to leave here.
It’s a fantastic place.
“But going over to Africa made me want to come back
here—seeing their pride in their country and how much
they want to pour into their country—and made we want
to be a light in this country.”
It seems the filament is already there to be one incandescent
Aggie.
Click to expand...

Gator Bill · Oct 26, 2008

That's great, congratulations Terry and thanks for posting Scott.

gipper · Oct 26, 2008

Nice article, great kid and great golfer. Thanks for posting the article.

Terry O'Keefe · Oct 27, 2008

Thanks for posting that Scott. Matt's a real special young man.

BuckeyeT · Oct 27, 2008

Great kid, congrats TOK.

George Krebs · Oct 27, 2008

Congratulations, Terry. Quite a young man.

Sid · Oct 27, 2008

Thanks, Scott.

Terry, you justifiably must be swelling with pride and gratitude for your sister and her family. Matt is an exceptional young man from an exceptional family. As I read the piece, I saw an abundance of character, humility, and strength.

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