Zen Michalski poses with his family (from left): stepdad Matthew Ware, Zen Michalski, brother Koa, mother Tami, and brother Mateo. Tami graduated from Jasper in 2001. She told the Free Press the family is moving back to Jasper in a few weeks, and Mateo and Koa will be enrolled in Jasper schools.
As Zen Michalski prepares to play for a national championship once again, the moment feels surreal — not just for the Indiana offensive tackle, but for his family watching in the stands tonight and at home in Jasper and even in Oregon.
For his mother, Tami (Williams) Ware, the Hoosiers’ run has been more than a historic season. It has been a homecoming.
“It’s the pinnacle of five years of college football for us,” Tami said. “This is the best of the best. It’s the most exciting thing we could imagine.”
Michalski, a Floyd Central graduate and the only southern Indiana native on Indiana’s roster this year, transferred back to IU after winning a national championship at Ohio State last season. The move has been met with enthusiasm from friends, former classmates and longtime Hoosier fans across the region.
Tami, a Jasper native and Jasper High School alum, said messages and conversations have been pouring in all season.
“I’ve had so many people reach out — friends from high school, people I haven’t talked to in years,” she said. “Everyone is just so excited that Zen came back home to Indiana and that he’s part of something special.”
She plans to watch the national championship game in Miami tonight, surrounded by familiar faces, sitting near a group of former classmates who made the trip south.
Sue Williams with Father Don Ackerman, Father Keith Hart, Father Christian Raab, and Father Brian Emmick at the Rose Bowl viewing party hosted in Jasper.
That sense of connection has extended beyond the stands. Tami said her mother, Sue Williams, who worked at the Dubois County Health Department for 25 years, has turned Indiana games into community events.
“She brings people over to watch,” Tami said. “Everyone knows her. It’s just the greatest thrill, and she’s on cloud nine.”
She’s watching the game in Oregon with family members tonight.
Michalski and his grandmother, Sue.
While Michalski experienced championship football at Ohio State, this season has felt different for his family.
“At Ohio State, there was support, but a lot of the people we know are IU fans,” Tami said. “This year, everyone is fully invested. When Indiana wins, everyone we love is happy.”
When Zen entered the transfer portal last year, Tami admitted the decision came with emotion — and relief. He had better offers, but decided to come to IU to be closer to home and to family.
“As a mom, you just want your kid close,” she said. “And to have him somewhere that means so much to our family and our community has made this season really special.”
On the field, Michalski has filled whatever role Indiana needed. He was recruited as a right tackle. A move that prompted the lefty to start using his right hand for a myriad of routine tasks to prep for the difference — a testament to the dedication that has helped get him where he is. He’s also stepped in at left guard and lined up as an extra tight end in short-yardage situations.
“He’s played all over the line,” Tami said. “That takes intelligence and toughness. The coaches trust him, and that says everything.”
All while battling injuries. Injuries that Tami said have tested him physically and mentally. He’s had a bulging disc, right elbow hyper-extended, torn ligaments in his hands, and other issues have plagued him this year.
“His faith has really carried him through,” she said. “There were moments that scared him, but he leaned on that faith and kept going.”
Tami’s husband, Matthew, put Michalski on the path to football when, in eighth grade, he pushed him to join the football team. Things didn’t go well at first, and he wanted to quit, but Tami and Matthew told him he had to finish the season, even though he nearly quit midway through that first season.
“He told me it was really hard and he just wanted his phone back,” Matthew said. “I told him he had to finish the season.”
Six weeks later, everything changed.
“Something clicked,” Matthew said. “He found confidence. He loved the challenge. From that moment on, football became his thing.”
They turned the garage into a gym, and Michalski became focused on growing his skills. “He said he never wanted to stop playing,” Tami said.
Even then, his path wasn’t linear. He didn’t start in high school until his junior year and entered recruiting largely under the radar before opportunities followed.
“To look at where he started and where he is now — it still amazes me,” Tami said.
Michalski has plans to give back; speaking engagements with players at Floyd Central and Jasper High School are being scheduled to encourage them to keep playing, to do the hard work.
“Our area isn’t always heavily recruited,” Matthew said. “But his story shows what can happen if you work and stick with it.”
As for what Tami hopes her son remembers most from this season, it goes beyond wins or trophies.
“I hope he remembers loyalty — choosing people over convenience,” Tami said. “And how powerful it is when a group comes together with a shared purpose.”
Win or lose, she believes the lessons will last far beyond Monday night.
“This journey has shaped who he is,” she said. “And that’s what matters most.”
She has also loved seeing the faith of her son and the others on the team, visible to the whole world through this journey.
“Just to see how this team works together and gives God the glory is the best,” Tami said.
