ORONO – There’s something special about living on the west side of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Many of the families there are of Polish descent and it’s a community, Michael Zyskowski will tell you, where virtually everybody knows each other.

Zyskowski, who grew up there, bragged that 20 members of his family gathered every Sunday for brunch at his grandma’s house.

“It takes the Midwestern atmosphere to an extreme. Everybody’s very friendly and open,” said Zyskowski, who has spent the last three years of his life 16 hours away while attending the University of Maine and playing football for the Black Bears.

Zyskowski thrived in the supportive family atmosphere of Grand Rapids. At Union High School, he was president of the National Honor Society and a standout football and baseball player. He was even being recruited for football by the likes of Michigan State and Harvard.

However, just prior to the start of his senior football season, Zyskowski’s life was turned upside down. Al Zyskowski, a devoted husband and the father of three children, was diagnosed with liver cancer.

The elder Zyskowski, a former baseball and football player at Wake Forest University, had eagerly shared his sports knowledge with his eldest son.

“My father passed away a week and a half before I graduated,” Michael Zyskowski said. “It was tough, because I kind of had the most time with him. He’d been my coach forever.”

Michael Zyskowski became lost in the athletics shuffle, but that wasn’t his primary concern. His family needed him more than ever after his father’s death.

“I knew what I had to do,” Zyskowski said. “I never thought of leaving them at a time like that.”

Zyskowski enrolled at nearby Grand Rapids Community College. He planned to concentrate on baseball but also contemplated playing football until, on his 18th birthday, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres invited him for a tryout.

The promising Zyskowski broke his wrist during his first year at GRCC and was unable to play. He refocused, got back into shape, and again made baseball his top priority for 2000.

During GRCC’s southern trip, Zyskowski tore ligaments in his thumb while tagging out a runner at home plate.

“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ ” said Zyskowski, who opted to turn his attention toward a college football career.

Life at home was difficult during his junior college years. Zyskowski took a full course load and worked part time, but he made his immediate family his primary responsibility.

“We had some tough times; I’m not going to lie,” Zyskowski said. “I was trying to help out with everything at home, whether it was cooking meals, giving money, or whatever.”

With time, things worked themselves out.

With two years of junior college under his belt and his family stabilized, Zyskowski began looking for a place to study landscape horticulture and play football. He debated trying to walk on at Michigan State or UMaine.

His mother helped make his choice easier.

“She said, ‘It’s your time, you need to go,’ ” Zyskowski explained. “I decided they’re OK, I’m OK, let’s move on.”

Zyskowski, who hadn’t played football for two years, chose UMaine. He was welcomed with open arms and made to feel like he was part of the family.

“The longest I had ever been away from my family was 10 days,” Zyskowski said. “It was not only a hard transition for me but for my family.”

Zyskowski worked hard and has been the Bears’ backup fullback the last two seasons.

“He’s a hard-nosed, tough, love-the-game kind of kid,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “His heart, determination, and spirit, that’s what the guys recognized [when they chose him as a captain].”

Zyskowski, a powerful 5-foot-10, 245-pounder, enjoys his role as “a glorified lineman.” He is one of UMaine’s strongest players, having set the team record of 630 pounds in the squat and 390 pounds in the hang-clean lift.

He puts his tremendous strength to use primarily as a run blocker and occasionally as a ballcarrier or receiver.

“That was how I earned my scholarship, doing that dirty work,” said Zyskowski, who hopes to do more dirty work as a landscaper when he graduates.

“Mike does the job, and he does it with enthusiasm and great ability,” Cosgrove said. “He’s really been a pleasant addition to the program.”