Gary Zauner (born November 2, 1950) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach who most recently served as the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

coordinator for the California Redwoods of the United Football League. Previously, he had coached 13 seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

. He has coached kickers for over 35 years in high school, college and the NFL. Further, he was a successful college kicker playing for the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. Zauner also operates a kicking consulting service located in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

Playing career

Zauner was a four-year letterman in football and baseball at University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (1968–72). He went to training camp as a punter with the

in 1973 and the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

in 1974.

College coaching career

Zauner began his coaching career in 1979 at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

under Head Coach LaVell Edwards. He became the first full-time special teams coach in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. At BYU he recruited punter/kicker Lee Johnson, a future fifth-round draft choice by the

in 1985. He then moved to coach special teams at

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

for five Seasons (1981–85) turning the Aztecs into one of the best special teams units in the nation. At SDSU, he helped to recruit current Redwoods defensive assistant coach and longtime NFL safety Robert Griffith. Zauner spent the following three seasons (1987–89) at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

where he coached former NFL wide receiver Terance Mathis, who tied an NCAA season record (1989) for three touchdown's on kickoff returns. In 1990, Zauner was hired by George Allen to coach at Long Beach State for two seasons (1990–91).

Personal life

Zauner attended Hamilton High School. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zauner, Gary 1950 births Living people Players of American football from Milwaukee Minnesota Vikings coaches Baltimore Ravens coaches Arizona Cardinals coaches Sacramento Mountain Lions coaches