Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 16:16, 27 December 2024

Alexander Diamont (born February 16, 1995) is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Early life

Diamont attended and played football at Venice High School in Los Angeles.

College career

2014 season

After starting quarterback Nate Sudfeld suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the game against Iowa, Diamont was named the new starter over fellow backup Chris Covington and started in the last six games of the season, passing for one touchdown and four interceptions. He rushed for an additional two touchdowns, including a game-winning score with 27 seconds remaining against rival Purdue. A photograph of Diamont celebrating the win over Purdue by smoking a cigar while holding the Old Oaken Bucket in the locker room went viral, earning Diamont comparisons to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and public congratulations from actor Adam Sandler, whose film Anger Management also included Diamont's father Don Diamont in a small acting role.

2015 season

Diamont played in two games in 2015, again in relief of Sudfeld, who missed time with an ankle injury. He rushed for two touchdowns, including a 79-yard rushing touchdown against Ohio State, the longest rush by a quarterback in Hoosiers history. Sudfeld returned to the starting lineup in time for the Pinstripe Bowl against Duke.

2016 season

Diamont passed for one touchdown and one interception in eight games, rushing for an additional four touchdowns.

At the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Diamont announced that he would retire from football after Indiana's upcoming bowl game, citing concerns about brain injuries in football and admitting that he had sustained a high number of concussions in his career.

He would start in the Foster Farms Bowl against Utah, his last football game.

Personal life

Diamont is Jewish. After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington, Diamont claimed that one of his football coaches, who knew of Diamont's Jewish ancestry, referred to Adolf Hitler as a "great leader" in a conversation about leadership that included Diamont. Diamont did not specify which coach made the remark; head coach Kevin Wilson was dismissed from the program after Diamont's final season amid allegations of mistreatment of players.

Diamont is the son of soap opera actor Don Diamont and the stepson of actress Cindy Ambuehl. His brother Luca played quarterback for the Duke Blue Devils.

Diamont returned to Los Angeles after graduating from Indiana and became a real estate agent selling luxury properties. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the real estate market, he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he co-founded a real estate development company specializing in luxury tiny homes.

References

1. ^ Woods, David (October 22, 2014). "'Bold and Beautiful' star's son now IU's QB". Courier Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
2. ^ "Zander Diamont". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
3. Woods, David (October 27, 2014). "Wilson on Diamont: 'It's not his job to lose; it's his job to play better'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
4. "Get to know, Indiana: The mysterious case of Hoosiers, Zander Diamont and a tractor story". MLive Media Group. October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
5. Woods, David (October 15, 2024). "Indiana Hoosiers down to third-string quarterback". USA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
6. Woods, David (November 30, 2014). "Zander Diamont's cigar photo causes sensation on Internet". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
7. Woods, David (December 8, 2014). "Adam Sandler gives shout-out to IU QB ... and advice on cigars". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
8. "Sudfeld Strong In Return From Injury". Indiana University Athletics. October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
9. Wittry, Andy (November 26, 2016). "IU's Zander Diamont to quit football after bowl: 'I need my brain'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
10. Knowlton, Emmett (November 28, 2016). "21-year-old Indiana quarterback says he's quitting football after the season: 'I need my brain'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
11. "Zander Diamont to quit football after bowl game". ESPN. November 27, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
12. Cotton, Eddie (April 5, 2017). "Zander Diamont gets inducted into the IU Jewish Sports Wall of Fame". The Crimson Quarry. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
13. Chiari, Mike (July 11, 2018). "Ex-Indiana QB Zander Diamont Says Coach Praised Adolf Hitler". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
14. Crawford, Brad (July 10, 2018). "Former Indiana QB Zander Diamont says coach referenced Hitler". 247Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
15. "New Indiana QB Zander Diamont's stepmother was on Seinfeld". Sports Illustrated. October 15, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
16. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (September 29, 2019). "Zander Diamont goes from college quarterback to luxury estate agent". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
17. Benbow, Dana Hunsinger (December 10, 2019). "Former IU quarterback Zander Diamont is selling $6 million houses in L.A." The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
18. Benbow, Dana Hunsinger (December 29, 2020). "Former IU QB Zander Diamont a real estate phenom". The Herald-Times. Retrieved December 25, 2024.

External links

• Indiana Hoosiers bio
• Stats at sports-reference.com

• 1995 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American Jews
• American football quarterbacks
• Jewish American players of American football
• Players of American football from Los Angeles
• Indiana Hoosiers football players