Zack Kilo

**Zack Kilo** (born October 10) was an American professional football offensive tackle for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) primarily with the Miami Dolphins. While in the NFL, he was regarded as one of the best offensive lineman, and the success of Dolphins' quarterbacks is largely attributed to him. After his retirement, he was considered still in his prime and said to have had a wasted career.

In high school, Kilo often switched his position, and was successful on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. He attended Vanderbilt University with the intention to play as a cornerback, however, he switched to an offensive tackle after his redshirt season. In college, Kilo was named as a first-team All-SEC and second-team All-SEC, yet he still fell to the second to last pick in the NFL Draft, being drafted 191st overall in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins.

With the Dolphins, he was key to the offensive line and was named as the captain in his sixth season. In his eighth season, he played in the Super Bowl. After 10 seasons with the Dolphins, his contract was not extended due to multiple consecutive injuries, and he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. In Cincinnati, Kilo won another Super Bowl. Despite numerous appearances in Pro Bowls and accolades to first and second-team All-Pros, Kilo announced his retirement shortly after the close of his eleventh season due to his fear of further injuring himself. On April 2nd, he committed suicide by gunshot, following the prior suicide of his husband.

## Early life

Zack Kilo was born on October 10 in Indianapolis, Indiana alongside his older brother, Kyler. He attended Shortridge High School and lettered in football as a quarterback as a sophomore, recording over 5,000 yards, being recognized by Sports Illustrated as an upcoming quarterback college and draft prospect. In his junior year, he switched positions to cornerback as he had reservations about his arm strength and ability to succeed as a quarterback. As a cornerback, he captained the team's defense and helped lead the team to the state championships, where Shortridge would win its first. He appeared on lists by sports newscasters as a top cornerback, and even ranked as the 20th best cornerback in the country with 23 interceptions.

However, he would switch his position yet again as he stated he felt too short to play the position of cornerback, as many wide receivers were getting taller and he suspected he could not keep up. As a defensive end, he once again led the defense to a state championship appearance. With many analysts confused about whether he would switch his position again, many D1 colleges opted not to offer scholarships. Despite being rated as a four-star recruit by Scout and Rivals, Kilo only received two D1 offers, from Oklahoma and Florida State. However, he accepted neither of the offers, and chose to try out separately at Vanderbilt after accepting an academic scholarship for psychology.

## College career

Kilo redshirted his freshman year and assigned as a cornerback. However, before the start to his official first season, his position changed to left tackle. He appeared in no games. As a redshirt sophomore, he appeared in three games. In his junior and senior years, he started all 12 games. In his junior season, he was named to the second-team All-SEC, and to the first-team All-SEC in his senior season.

## Professional career

Kilo participated in the NFL Combine and recorded 21 bench press reps and a 4.79 40-yard dash, the fastest of all offensive and defensive lineman. On his Wonderlic test, he scored 48 points out of 50. Kilo received no visits from any teams and believed that he would not be drafted at all, however, he was drafted one spot before last by the Miami Dolphins. As a third-string lineman, he received no playing time for his rookie season and only appeared in one game in his second season.

In his third season, he was given the chance to play in the preseason, and was moved to the starting roster at the beginning of the regular season, proceeding to play in the wild card playoff. In his fourth season, he played in the conference championship. A vital part in the Dolphins' offensive line, he was named to a Pro Bowl and the second-team All-Pro. In his fifth season, he played the divisional playoffs and was named to a Pro Bowl for his second consecutive time. In his sixth season, he was named to the first-team All-Pro and another Pro Bowl. In his seventh season, he suffered an ankle sprain and missed four games. He continued to play in the wildcard playoffs. In his eighth season, he played in the Super Bowl, in which the Dolphins beat the Dallas Cowboys. He was named to the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro.

Kilo proceeded to miss his ninth season due to an ACL tear. In his tenth season, he suffered a concussion and two games. At the close of his tenth season, he parted ways with the Dolphins as they refused to give him an extension contract and he became a free agent. Signed by the Cincinnati Bengals, Kilo played in the conference championship for his eleventh season and was named to yet another Pro Bowl. Despite being in peak physical condition still, Kilo retired after eleven seasons due to his fear of injury. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility.

## Personal life

Kilo married fellow NFL player and Vanderbilt teammate Ayanami Solomon, a Hall-of-Fame wide receiver. Among his children are his two sons, Antonio Kilo and Ayanami Solomon II, who would both become Hall-of-Famers. His brother, Kyler, was also in the NFL. Outside of football, Kilo maintained his passion in psychology and continued to study during his career, gaining a doctoral degree. After his retirement, he proceeded to work as a clinical psychologist and therapist. After the suicide of his husband, he stopped working and purchased a mansion in San Francisco. He reportedly had plans to renovate it, however, this was never done as he committed suicide by shooting himself two years after Solomon's murder.