John Eldon Zook (September 24, 1947 – June 6, 2020) was an American professional
football player who was a
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
for 12 seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
and the
Atlanta Falcons. Zook played
college football for the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
.
Zook was born in
Garden City, Kansas, and grew up in
Zook and Larned.
He was a three-year letterman, was picked twice for all-conference honors, anchoring one of the top defensive units ever taking the field at KU. He was an honorable mention All-American in 1967 and was a consensus
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
honors as the Jayhawks' defensive standout on the 1968 Orange Bowl-bound team, the year KU was named No. 6 by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
. Zook had 202 total tackles during his career, putting him at No. 4 on KU's all-time defensive line list. KU Coach
Pepper Rodgers
Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers (October 8, 1931 – May 14, 2020) was an American football player and coach. As a college football player, he led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season in 1952 and later became their head ...
said Zook "never played but full speed from snap one to snap hundred. He was the most full-speed player on every snap that you could imagine." He was also chosen in the KU All-Time team by the ''
Lawrence Journal-World
The ''Lawrence Journal-World'' is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, by Ogden Newspapers.
History
Though the ''Journal-World'' title came into existence in 1911, the paper dates itself to 1858, according to the v ...
''.
Zook was drafted by the
Los Angeles Rams in the 4th round (99th overall) of the
1969 NFL Draft
The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969.
The draft be ...
. He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and then by the Eagles to the Atlanta Falcons, where began his NFL career in 1969. Zook played 144 games in the NFL and was a Second-team
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
selection in 1973. He had been a Second-team All-NFC selection in 1972 and 1973 and was voted to the 1973 Pro Bowl. Zook was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976 and finished his career there.
Zook recorded the first ever safety for the Falcons franchise.
Zook died on June 6, 2020 in Kansas.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zook, John
1947 births
2020 deaths
People from Garden City, Kansas
All-American college football players
American football defensive ends
Kansas Jayhawks football players
University of Kansas alumni
Los Angeles Rams players
Atlanta Falcons players
St. Louis Cardinals (football) players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Players of American football from Kansas