It isn’t difficult to recognize that NIU defensive lineman Zach Anderson and his father, John McMahon, didn’t come from the same bloodline.

Anderson, who was adopted by McMahon and his wife Cheryl at the age of seven, stands at a towering 6’2″ 288 pounds while McMahon is 5’6,” 180 pounds, and wrestled in high school at 95 pounds.

“Zach was a big guy compared to [rest of the family],” McMahon said.

A different gene pool doesn’t mean that Anderson didn’t inherit anything from his father.

Being brought into a family that adores wrestling, McMahon helped his son become a thriving athlete in the family sport.

The blend of his tremendous size along with his rare athletic ability resulted in fast success on the wrestling mat.

As a wrestler at Ladysmith High School, Anderson was a three-time Wisconsin state place winner at the 288-pound class plus a two time Greco-All American and Greco National place winner.

He holds a career record of 152-21 while also owning the record for the fastest pin in Wisconsin wrestling history at four seconds.

Organized youth football in the town of Ladysmith starts at the seventh grade so Anderson had to wait to play the sport he’s currently playing as a Huskie.

“We realized that Zach was going to be a football player,” McMahon said. “He was a tremendous young athlete and he was very coordinated and all sports came very easy to him.”

The more he learned on the mat, the more Anderson wanted to start helping other upcoming wrestlers at his alma mater.

Since Anderson’s sophomore year at Ladysmith, where his father has taught and coached for 30 years, the redshirt freshman helps fellow Lumberjacks learn the ins and outs of wrestling during the winter.

“Older kids used to coach me and my dad used to teach me,” Anderson said. “He pushed me into wrestling and I’d like to pass on what was given to me.”

His fondness for coaching youth is something that has certainly rubbed off from his father.

“He enjoys taking young kids under his wing and helping them,” McMahon said.

Anderson is a Kinesiology major and has admirations of being a coach once his football playing days are over.

“My goal one day is to be a defensive line coach or a strength and conditioning coach,” Anderson said.

As an underclassman on the NIU football team, Anderson is taking in all he can from his experienced teammates.

“It’s like the older guys teaching me here,” Anderson. “I get better each and every day from them pushing me.”

For Anderson, the process of teaching and learning is one he knows never ends.