Chuck Zapiec (born July 1, 1949) is a former All-American

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

and defensive captain of the Cotton Bowl Champion

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

. He earned his All-American Status as a linebacker in the only year that he played linebacker at "Linebacker U". Prior to his senior year, he also started 2 seasons as an offensive guard for the Lions and helped his team to 2 undefeated seasons in 1968 and 1969. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played with the Miami Dolphins. He was a Canadian Football League (CFL) All-Star with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

Early years

Zapiec started every game at Penn State that he was eligible for and graduated with the best record of any Penn State Player ever, 34 and 1, winning two

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...

s, defeating

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and one

Cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

Bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes ...

, with a win over Texas. "Big Daddy Z", as he was known by his friends and coach Paterno, started as an

Offensive Guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

his

Sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

and Junior Years when the Lions went undefeated in 1968 and 1969. "Big Z" was named to the All-America Blocking Team selected by Wirt Gammon of the

Chattanooga Times The ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is distributed in the metropolitan Chattanooga region of southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. It is one of Tennessee's maj ...

in 1969. As an Offensive Guard he earned All-East Honors each Year and was a Honorable Mention All American Selection in 1969. He is most remembered in Penn State Annals as the lead blocker that took out Kansas All-American

John Zook John Eldon Zook (September 24, 1947 – June 6, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons. Zoo ...

at the goal line that allowed Bobby Campbell to score a 2-point conversion that lead to a

Nittany Lion The Nittany Lion is the eastern mountain lion mascot of the athletic teams of the Pennsylvania State University: Penn State Nittany Lions. Created in 1907, the "Nittany" forename refers to the local Mount Nittany, which overlooks the university. ...

15-14 Orange Bowl Victory with no time on the clock. This successful try followed an errant pass on the first 2-point attempt when Kansas was penalized for having 12 men on the field.

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

, author of the book and movie ''

Paper Lion ''Paper Lion'' is a 1966 non-fiction book by American author George Plimpton. In 1960, Plimpton, not an athlete, arranged to pitch to a lineup of professional baseball players in an All-Star exhibition, presumably to answer the question, "How ...

'', went on to characterize Zapiec's block on Zook as the most important block in College Football, equivalent to

Jerry Kramer Gerald Louis Kramer (born January 23, 1936) is a former professional American football player, author and sports commentator, best remembered for his 11-year National Football League (NFL) career with the Green Bay Packers as an offensive linema ...

taking out

Jethro Pugh Jethro Pugh Jr. (July 3, 1944 – January 7, 2015) was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys for fourteen seasons. He played college football at Elizabeth City State College. Early ye ...

at the goal line to allow

Bart Star "Bart Star" is the sixth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 1997. Written by Donick Cary and directed by Dominic P ...

to score in the 1967

NFL Championship Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...

. Fourteen years later NBC voted the Penn State - Kansas finish as the most exciting game in the first 40 years of televising College Football. Switching to Defense for the 1970 Season, Big Z was moved from guard to

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, a position he was destined to play after idolizing his boyhood hero Chuck Bednarik, aka, "Concrete Charlie". Bednarik was the last of the 2-way performers in the NFL leading the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

to the 1960 Championship over Lombardi's Packers when he played Center and Middle Linebacker for 60 minutes. After only playing 1 game as a middle linebacker that year against Navy in 1970, he suffered an appendectomy flying out to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

to play the Buffalos who went on the next day to defeat the Lions and bring to halt their 31-game winning streak. The next year, he returned to the defensive side of the ball moving to outside linebacker, captaining the Team and earning First-team All- American Honors. Additionally, he was awarded the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Game Award (1971 was the first year that Chevrolet gave the game award) against

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

that year when he made 18 solo tackles in a victory over the Hawkeyes at

Kinnick Stadium Nile Kinnick Stadium is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team. First opened in 1929 as Iowa Stadium to replace Iowa Field, it currently holds up to 69,250 peo ...

- still a one-game record for Penn State Linebackers.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Zapiec was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the

1972 NFL Draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

. He faced a difficult challenge in making the team, after the Cowboys selected a total of 5

s and had one of the best linebacking corps in NFL history already in place. He was waived on August 16.

Miami Dolphins

On August 16,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, he was claimed off waivers by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

to backup

Nick Buoniconti Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (December 15, 1940 – July 30, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the Boston Patriot ...

. He was released on September 12.

Ottawa Rough Riders

, he signed to play

for the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. The next year, he was placed on recall waivers in mid-season.

Montreal Alouettes

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

, Zapiec was claimed by the

who were coached by Marv Levy. He was a CFL All-Star two times and was a part of two

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

victories for the Alouettes. He left the team to sign with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 28,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, he was signed by the

, reuniting with Levy who was his head coach with the Alouettes. He was cut on August 7. Zapiec has the distinction of playing for the winningest coach in college football,

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

, and the winningest coach in professional football,

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...

. He also played for two other

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

coaches,

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...

and Marv Levy.

Personal life

After his football career, he became a

Venture Capital Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...

Private Equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...

Professional. In the mid 1990s he left

Merrill Lynch Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment bank ...

and formed his own Venture Capital Company, Waterford Capital. Waterford invested in fast growing Internet Companies, many of which are still operating today. He later founded an Internet company and became its CEO, appliedE, Inc: focused on "KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVAL AND RECOLLECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS" used by professionals to bill their clients for research done over the Internet. He registered 5 Patents issued to him as the Inventor which formed the basis of the company's software product, PartnerOnline. A medical setback sent him on rest and recovery vacation to

Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...

in 1997 where he started investing in real estate. Using his tech background, he was one of the first vacation rental companies to advertise on the Internet and he used that advantage to grow his real estate holdings over the next 10 years. Zapiec owned a Vacation Rental Company in Hilton Head, SC - Hilton Head Hideaways. Additionally, he owns two other Enterprises, a Cleaning Services Company - A-1 Cleaning Services, and a Maintenance Company - A-1 Resort Services.

References

External links

Belles ringing out for Chuck, his gal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zapiec, Chuck 1949 births Living people Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football offensive guards American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers Montreal Alouettes players Ottawa Rough Riders players Penn State Nittany Lions football players Miami Dolphins players Kansas City Chiefs players American players of Canadian football