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Sun Devil Football creates lifetime memories for father and son

ASU alumnus Damon Zahlmann and his 14-year-old son, Drew, turn their shared love of Sun Devil Football into lasting memories, including a special trip to Texas A&M.

Sun Devil Football creates lifetime memories for father and sonSun Devil Football creates lifetime memories for father and son
Sun Devil Athletics

The Zahlmann family, Jamie, Drew, Brooklyn and Damon pose during halftime of Sun Devil Football's 70-7 season opening win over Morgan State on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.

When Damon Zahlmann arrived at Arizona State in 1994, he was a long way from home.

Raised in Pearl River, New York, just outside New York City, Damon came west with his twin brother, Darrick, ready for college life and whatever came next. 

Four years later, he graduated from ASU with a degree in criminal justice and political science. But by then, Arizona had become more than a place he went to school. It had become home.

“ASU gave me a great experience in college,” Damon said. “It’s just been a big part of my life ever since.”

Especially Sun Devil Football.

His college years lined up with one of the most memorable stretches in Sun Devil history, with rosters that included Jake Plummer, Derrick Rodgers and Pat Tillman. Damon was also in Pasadena for ASU’s trip to the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. 

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“They can never take those memories away,” he said. “It was a great time to be a Sun Devil and a student.”

For Damon, Sun Devil Football's games, traditions, and relationships gave him a sense of community that followed him into adulthood and then into fatherhood, as certain moments have come full circle.  

As an ASU student in 1996, Damon was part of the crowd that rushed the field after the Sun Devils defeated No. 1 Nebraska. During the 2025 season, Damon and his 14-year-old son, Drew, rushed the field together following the Sun Devils’ 26-22 win over Texas Tech.

The circumstances were different, but the feeling and the community surrounding it connected two generations.

“It was just such a cool moment because you don’t know if you’re ever going to be a part of it or not. So I told my son, ‘Look, if they do it, we’re doing this. Just follow me,’” Damon said. “It is such a great memory.”

That shared experience was only the beginning. 

Later in the 2025 season, Damon learned he had won the Sun Devil Attendance Challenge.

The prize?

An all-expenses-paid trip for two to see the Sun Devils play Texas A&M at Kyle Field.

For Damon, the contest win was about more than traveling to one of college football’s biggest environments. It was another opportunity to share his love of Sun Devil Football with the next generation and bond with his son. 

Pictured: The 1996 crowd that rushed the field after the Sun Devils defeated No. 1 Nebraska.

Attendance challenge winners Damon Zahlmann and his son, Eric, pose as the Sun Devils take on Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.

Making new memories at Kyle Field
The trip to Texas created even more memories, despite the final score not going the Sun Devils’ way.

“The seats were amazing, and the people were absolutely incredible at Texas A&M,” Damon said. “The campus and the stadium are definitely something everybody should go experience.”

The father-and-son duo took in the atmosphere, spent the weekend together and added another chapter to the collection of Sun Devil memories they had built over the years.

With an announced crowd of just under 108,000, the environment at Kyle Field was unlike anything Drew had experienced before.

“The atmosphere during the game was just incredible,” Damon said. “It was an experience my son will never forget, and I’ll never forget it with him. I was glad we were able to do that together.”

In some ways, the weekend represented how Damon’s relationship with Sun Devil Football has evolved.

Nearly three decades earlier, he was the college student making memories of his own, watching some of the program’s most memorable teams, rushing the field after the Nebraska victory and traveling to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

Now, he is a father watching his son experience that same excitement.

The games and seasons change. Players graduate. Stadiums change. Years pass. But for Damon, the sense of connection remains.

The Sun Devils didn’t leave Texas with a win. But Damon and Drew came home with something that will last much longer: A memory they’ll always share.

Unknown-2Attendance challenge winners Damon Zahlmann and his son, Eric, pose as the Sun Devils take on Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
Unknown-1Attendance challenge winners Damon Zahlmann and his son, Eric, pose as the Sun Devils take on Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
UnknownAttendance challenge winners Damon Zahlmann and his son, Eric, pose as the Sun Devils take on Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.