Evil doers beware,…or at least be ready for negotiation!

Christmas is a time that most people enjoy with their family and friends, but for one Pomona alumnus, Jack Zadigian, Christmas 2000 was spent in the criminally charged town of Memphis, Tennessee. He and a group of four other players escaped a near "mugging!"

Zadigian, who graduated in 1999, was an All-Conference and All-State tight end for Pomona. He went on to Colorado State University (CSU) where he became a member of the highly successful Ram football team.

Because CSU was Colorado's WAC Champions, 9-2, they were chosen to play in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on December 27, 2000.

Zadigian and his team flew out on Christmas Eve and then checked into the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis. CSU played their game against Louisville.

After their 22-17 victory, the five boys roamed Memphis' unfamiliar territory. It was difficult to find fun things to do, so when Zadigian and his friends went out, they basically just found that walking around was just as fun as spending their $200 in per diem.

On Christmas night at about 10 p.m., just after receiving their championship watches, five "walk-on" freshmen, including Zadigian, were wandering the streets of Memphis and noticed a male and female, dressed in black, who seemed to be following them.

"(I just knew) they were terrible criminals," stated Zadigian. "We knew they were following us."

Then when a Tennessee native woman innocently stopped the boys and introduced herself to them, the criminals passed the group and began planning their attack. When Zadigian and friends were through talking to the girl, they were about to pass the would be muggers when the man stuck out his arm, pulled out a gun, and asked the boys for all of their money.

"It was the biggest gun I had ever seen," explained Zadigian.

Hoping that the couple really was not planning on using the gun, Zadigian began to convince them that they did not have any money and to cut them some slack because, after all, it was Christmas.

After approximately five minutes of negotiating, Zadigian and his fellow teammates were told to "leave" and never tell anyone about what happened. The boys were too nervous to keep their mouths shut, so they told the security guard in their hotel. Within five minutes approximately six police cars arrived, and investigators were asking for descriptions.

The criminals' escape was about as unsuccessful as their attack. After a mere five minutes of searching, police found the culprits and arrested them.

Probably the only fun the CSU boys had that night was when they were taken to the police station in a cop car, with sirens ringing and then identifying the "muggers" and the gun.

It was a Christmas away from home that none of them will ever forget!

Being the sister of Zadigian, this reporter would be the first to tell you that Jack is someone who can talk his way out of any trouble!