Mount Ida honors former players serving in military

Tom Adams and Christos Zamakis were teammates on the Mount Ida College football team, but their bond extends far beyond their gridiron days at the Newton school. The pair are brothers-in-law, married to two former Mount Ida students. They are also both serving in the military.

Last week, the duo were saluted at the college's annual athletic awards banquet.

Adams, a four-time MVP who starred at linebacker for the Mustangs from 2000-2003, is on active duty as a corporal with the Marines in a unit that has traveled to 13 countries, including Kuwait and Lebanon. He was presented with the athletic department's Award of Valor. His wife, the former Maggie Croyle, is a 2005 graduate of Mount Ida.

Zamakis, who was a lineman, received the department's Award of Recognition. He was called up by the Army in November 2002, had to leave the football team during his junior season, and spent 16 of his 22 months of active duty in Iraq. Zamakis is married to Adams's sister, Dorothy, a former volleyball captain at the college who graduated in 2004.

"Tom and Christos have shown that from the classroom and the athletic field, they have transferred the attributes of honor, courage, and moral values to their military commitment," Mount Ida athletic director Jackie Palmer said in a statement.

Now a sergeant in the Army Reserves with the 94th MP Company, Zamakis is working to complete his undergraduate degree and plans to re enlist as a military policeman.

"The award was unexpected, and it's a great honor," said Zamakis, who, while stationed in Iraq, received a jersey and football signed by the Mount Ida football players and coaching staff. "Both gestures from the college mean a lot to me, and to be honored along with my brother-in-law makes it even more special."

Adams has a little less than two years remaining on active duty. He said his battalion, which is stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, will be redeployed in January, destination to be determined.

"I take a lot of pride in doing my job, and in a way it's like being part of an athletic team again, with everyone chipping in and doing their share."