BOSTON — When almost unimaginable adversity struck Zach Hodges while he was still in high school, his response was always the same: He pressed on.

When his father, grandfather and mother all died before he completed his junior year, his desire to continue his education and play football as a defensive end in college took him on a most uncommon path. He attended four schools in four years: Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C.; Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Ga.; Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H.; and Harvard University.

When he dealt with homelessness and hunger after his mother left a stepfather he described as mentally abusive toward his mother, it only increased his determination to make certain he would never have to do without basic needs again.

“People look at my life and say, ‘How could someone be so strong?’ ” Hodges, Harvard’s career leader with 27 sacks, said during a recent interview in the Murr Lounge, next to Harvard Stadium. “In actuality, I don’t really feel there is a choice in strength. Sometimes you don’t have an option but to keep moving and not stop.”