Hall of Fame Profiles: John Zeglinski
2/4/2019 11:51:00 AM | Baseball, Football
It was a non-descript baseball game on a non-descript Thursday in March of 1975. The Wake Forest baseball team was losing to Guilford College by a lot as the ninth inning raced the setting sun. Demon Deacon head coach Beattie Feathers had penciled in a freshman into the starting line-up. And with the Deacons trailing big in the ninth, John Zeglinski stepped to the plate.
"It was my first game at Wake Forest, at Ernie Shore Field, it was the ninth inning and we were losing pretty bad," said Zeglinski. "First pitch, I was looking fastball and I hit it to dead center. I remember it was with a wooden bat. First game in college, hitting a home run, that was pretty cool."
What many didn't realize was that home run was just one of the markers of what would become a Hall of Fame career for Zeglinski, a man who has been known his entire life simply as "Ziggy."
"I've been called Zig my whole life," said Zeglinski. "Zig became Ziggy when I came to Wake Forest. I use the name all the time now. If somebody calls me John now, it sounds odd to me."
Zeglinski will join six other Wake Forest legends in the 45th induction class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The group will be honored during a dinner on Friday, February 15 at Bridger Field House and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies of Wake Forest's men's basketball game with North Carolina on February 16.
Zeglinski, a native of Philadelphia, was part of a rare breed of Demon Deacons, a standout in multiple sports from 1974-78. Zeglinski will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the Heritage inductee, a category reserved for student-athletes who played 40 or more years ago.
Going into the Hall of Fame came as a surprise to Ziggy.
"It's something I never thought would happen," said Zeglinski. "Some of the athletes in that Hall of Fame are unbelievable. To be in the same mention as those guys is an unbelievable honor. What really struck me most when Dr. (Gene) Hooks called me, it was very emotional for me because of our relationship and what he's meant to Wake Forest baseball."
For Ziggy, the celebration of his impending induction started back in the fall when a group of his teammates gathered following Wake Forest's football game with Syracuse for a special recognition.
"I'm a pretty emotional guy as it is but I was really trying to hold back the tears when they brought me up there," said Ziggy. His former football teammate, Lou Tilley, who has forged a career in sports media, put together a video highlighting Zeglinski's career.
"But what struck me was the genuine happiness of my teammates, both my football and baseball teammates, who I am still very close to today. That's the coolest part. How all these relationships . . . it's overwhelming to me how genuinely happy my teammates were that they were a part of it and they definitely are. That's been the best part of being in the Hall of Fame to me. I didn't even realize how overwhelmed I would be by the reaction of my teammates."
Had it not been for a couple of fortuitous turns in fate, Zeglinski might have been an Ohio State Buckeye.
"I was an option quarterback in high school and I committed to Ohio State as an option quarterback," recalled Ziggy. "They were number one in the country, Woody Hayes was the coach. In my meeting with Coach Hayes on my recruiting trip, he told me his quarterbacks don't play baseball. I still committed to Ohio State.
"After I got back to Philadelphia, I went to a college night at a high school with some teammates just to check it out. I walked into a room and (Wake Forest assistant football) Coach (Steve) Bernstein was there and he recognized my name. He told me I could play baseball at Wake Forest. He told me my freshman year we were going to play Penn State and Oklahoma and at Michigan my junior year. It was a big-time schedule and I was going to get to play two sports. Before that, the only thing I knew about Wake Forest was Brian Piccolo. For Coach Bernstein, I was probably one of the easiest recruits he signed because I walked into a room, he didn't have to recruit me. Turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I went down and visited the campus in February. We saw a basketball game and they treated me wonderfully. It was one of those great summer days in February. I thought it was great because it was so warm. That's what got me to Wake, it was by happenstance."
Once arriving on campus, Zeglinski made his presence felt almost immediately. In his first collegiate football game in 1974, Zeglinski caught a two-point conversion pass from fellow freshman quarterback Mike McGlamry. He finished his first football season with a respectable nine receptions for 137 yards. During his first spring on campus, he was splitting time between spring football practices and baseball games leading to a prolonged batting slump that ended when Ziggy concentrated solely on baseball.
Few knew that greatness awaited.
Ziggy put together one of the finest sophomore football campaigns in school history. He exploded on the gridiron, rushing for 591 yards and catching 27 passes for 354 yards and an ACC record eight touchdowns. Ziggy also returned punts and kickoffs and set the school record for all-purpose yards in a season with 1,730.
By comparison, Wake Forest sophomore Greg Dortch posted 1,750 all-purpose yards in 2018 during a first team All-ACC season.
Zeglinski earned numerous honors in 1975 including leading the ACC and finishing fifth in the nation in all-purpose yards. He was a Sophomore All-American by The Sporting News and was named one of the top nine running backs in the country by Detroit Sports Extra.
Perhaps Ziggy's finest moment during that 1975 season came during a 21-9 football victory at North Carolina. Zeglinski scored all three of Wake Forest's touchdowns, scoring on two pass receptions from quarterback Jerry McManus and adding a 45-yard punt return as the Deacons dismantled the Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium.
"I get reminded of that game all the time," said Ziggy. "I remember it very well. It was great beating Carolina. Wake fans still ask about the punt return."
Baseball in the spring allowed Zeglinski more than an opportunity to just skip spring football practice. His star continued to rise, as both his fortunes, and those of the Diamond Deacs, were ascending. He hit .300 in 1976 and improved that to .326 in 1977 while earning first team All-ACC honors in both seasons and graduating as Wake Forest's all-time leader in hits.
"My freshman year to my junior year there was a big difference in the (baseball) talent level," said Ziggy. Athletic Director Dr. Gene Hooks hired Marvin "Skip" Crater as the head coach and Hooks took an active role in helping assemble the squad.
The transformation started to occur by getting football players like Al Zyskowski and Bob Hely, to add baseball to their schedule, and baseball's recruitment of players such as outfielder Kenny Baker, the ACC baseball Player of the Year in 1977, and Stan Johnson, a four-time All-ACC pick as a catcher.
Those changes led the Demon Deacon to win the ACC Baseball Championship in 1977 in commanding fashion. Wake Forest moved into the ACC semifinals where they faced No. 1 Clemson at Clemson's home ballpark. Down 4-3 in the ninth, Wake Forest rallied behind centerfielder Ken Gerrity who lofted a two out single to left. Baker doubled to tie the game and Johnson drove in Baker for the winning run. Facing the top-ranked Tigers again in the championship game the following day, the Deacons buried Clemson 22-9 as Ziggy, hitting lead-off, contributed a hit and a pair of runs scored.
"That was a very unique group of guys. A very loosey-goosey team. Skip Crater was our coach. He treated us like men and I'm not sure that was a good idea, we liked to have a good time," said Zeglinski while laughing. "I remember Coach Hooks got the program rolling again. We owe a lot to him. We started bringing in some baseball players and there was a big difference.
"(Beating Clemson in the 1977 ACC finals) was something special. We weren't expected to do it. It was an unbelievable experience. Then with Kenny Baker on the team, for my teammates to pick me as team MVP, that was special. We had a good team, we hit a lot of long balls, we played good defense and we enjoyed it. The guys in the dugout were super. It was a remarkable year. We did a lot of laughing and we had a great atmosphere."
While most recent Wake Forest graduates never saw Zeglinski on the field, nearly all have some degree of awareness of his namesake bar, Ziggy's. Contrary to myth, Zeglinski never owned the bar and music venue. But it was indeed named after him.
"I played through a pulled hamstring my senior year in baseball," said Zeglinski. "I signed with the (Texas) Rangers and tore my other hamstring my first year. I came back to Winston and I needed some hours to graduate. I was a graduate assistant for (football) Coach (John) Mackovic. I was working at the Safari Room. Pat Casey, the owner, asked if he could name a bar around the corner after me, called the White Horse. I was a 21-year old kid, I was kind of embarrassed by it. I said sure. I actually signed a napkin saying I didn't want anything for it. Then I ran Ziggy's the whole next year and I knew that lifestyle wasn't going to get me anywhere. I just ran it for a year, had a great time, met some great people, made some great relationships, not just from sports but the towns people were great. After that, I came home (to Philadelphia) and stayed home and Ziggy's went on. One of my fraternity brothers bought it and they invited me down for the 15th anniversary. But I had no other connection other than that being a trivia question."
Be it on the baseball field, the football field or in the world of entertainment, Ziggy continues to be a legend. And now, a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
**
A limited number of $60 tickets are available for sale to the general public for the Hall of Fame dinner on Friday, February 15. Contact Amy Fleet at fleetac@wfu.edu to reserve a ticket.
"It was my first game at Wake Forest, at Ernie Shore Field, it was the ninth inning and we were losing pretty bad," said Zeglinski. "First pitch, I was looking fastball and I hit it to dead center. I remember it was with a wooden bat. First game in college, hitting a home run, that was pretty cool."
What many didn't realize was that home run was just one of the markers of what would become a Hall of Fame career for Zeglinski, a man who has been known his entire life simply as "Ziggy."
"I've been called Zig my whole life," said Zeglinski. "Zig became Ziggy when I came to Wake Forest. I use the name all the time now. If somebody calls me John now, it sounds odd to me."
Zeglinski will join six other Wake Forest legends in the 45th induction class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The group will be honored during a dinner on Friday, February 15 at Bridger Field House and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies of Wake Forest's men's basketball game with North Carolina on February 16.
Zeglinski, a native of Philadelphia, was part of a rare breed of Demon Deacons, a standout in multiple sports from 1974-78. Zeglinski will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as the Heritage inductee, a category reserved for student-athletes who played 40 or more years ago.
Going into the Hall of Fame came as a surprise to Ziggy.
"It's something I never thought would happen," said Zeglinski. "Some of the athletes in that Hall of Fame are unbelievable. To be in the same mention as those guys is an unbelievable honor. What really struck me most when Dr. (Gene) Hooks called me, it was very emotional for me because of our relationship and what he's meant to Wake Forest baseball."
For Ziggy, the celebration of his impending induction started back in the fall when a group of his teammates gathered following Wake Forest's football game with Syracuse for a special recognition.
"I'm a pretty emotional guy as it is but I was really trying to hold back the tears when they brought me up there," said Ziggy. His former football teammate, Lou Tilley, who has forged a career in sports media, put together a video highlighting Zeglinski's career.
"But what struck me was the genuine happiness of my teammates, both my football and baseball teammates, who I am still very close to today. That's the coolest part. How all these relationships . . . it's overwhelming to me how genuinely happy my teammates were that they were a part of it and they definitely are. That's been the best part of being in the Hall of Fame to me. I didn't even realize how overwhelmed I would be by the reaction of my teammates."
Had it not been for a couple of fortuitous turns in fate, Zeglinski might have been an Ohio State Buckeye.
"I was an option quarterback in high school and I committed to Ohio State as an option quarterback," recalled Ziggy. "They were number one in the country, Woody Hayes was the coach. In my meeting with Coach Hayes on my recruiting trip, he told me his quarterbacks don't play baseball. I still committed to Ohio State.
"After I got back to Philadelphia, I went to a college night at a high school with some teammates just to check it out. I walked into a room and (Wake Forest assistant football) Coach (Steve) Bernstein was there and he recognized my name. He told me I could play baseball at Wake Forest. He told me my freshman year we were going to play Penn State and Oklahoma and at Michigan my junior year. It was a big-time schedule and I was going to get to play two sports. Before that, the only thing I knew about Wake Forest was Brian Piccolo. For Coach Bernstein, I was probably one of the easiest recruits he signed because I walked into a room, he didn't have to recruit me. Turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I went down and visited the campus in February. We saw a basketball game and they treated me wonderfully. It was one of those great summer days in February. I thought it was great because it was so warm. That's what got me to Wake, it was by happenstance."
Once arriving on campus, Zeglinski made his presence felt almost immediately. In his first collegiate football game in 1974, Zeglinski caught a two-point conversion pass from fellow freshman quarterback Mike McGlamry. He finished his first football season with a respectable nine receptions for 137 yards. During his first spring on campus, he was splitting time between spring football practices and baseball games leading to a prolonged batting slump that ended when Ziggy concentrated solely on baseball.
Few knew that greatness awaited.
Ziggy put together one of the finest sophomore football campaigns in school history. He exploded on the gridiron, rushing for 591 yards and catching 27 passes for 354 yards and an ACC record eight touchdowns. Ziggy also returned punts and kickoffs and set the school record for all-purpose yards in a season with 1,730.
By comparison, Wake Forest sophomore Greg Dortch posted 1,750 all-purpose yards in 2018 during a first team All-ACC season.
Zeglinski earned numerous honors in 1975 including leading the ACC and finishing fifth in the nation in all-purpose yards. He was a Sophomore All-American by The Sporting News and was named one of the top nine running backs in the country by Detroit Sports Extra.
Perhaps Ziggy's finest moment during that 1975 season came during a 21-9 football victory at North Carolina. Zeglinski scored all three of Wake Forest's touchdowns, scoring on two pass receptions from quarterback Jerry McManus and adding a 45-yard punt return as the Deacons dismantled the Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium.
"I get reminded of that game all the time," said Ziggy. "I remember it very well. It was great beating Carolina. Wake fans still ask about the punt return."
Baseball in the spring allowed Zeglinski more than an opportunity to just skip spring football practice. His star continued to rise, as both his fortunes, and those of the Diamond Deacs, were ascending. He hit .300 in 1976 and improved that to .326 in 1977 while earning first team All-ACC honors in both seasons and graduating as Wake Forest's all-time leader in hits.
"My freshman year to my junior year there was a big difference in the (baseball) talent level," said Ziggy. Athletic Director Dr. Gene Hooks hired Marvin "Skip" Crater as the head coach and Hooks took an active role in helping assemble the squad.
The transformation started to occur by getting football players like Al Zyskowski and Bob Hely, to add baseball to their schedule, and baseball's recruitment of players such as outfielder Kenny Baker, the ACC baseball Player of the Year in 1977, and Stan Johnson, a four-time All-ACC pick as a catcher.
Those changes led the Demon Deacon to win the ACC Baseball Championship in 1977 in commanding fashion. Wake Forest moved into the ACC semifinals where they faced No. 1 Clemson at Clemson's home ballpark. Down 4-3 in the ninth, Wake Forest rallied behind centerfielder Ken Gerrity who lofted a two out single to left. Baker doubled to tie the game and Johnson drove in Baker for the winning run. Facing the top-ranked Tigers again in the championship game the following day, the Deacons buried Clemson 22-9 as Ziggy, hitting lead-off, contributed a hit and a pair of runs scored.
"That was a very unique group of guys. A very loosey-goosey team. Skip Crater was our coach. He treated us like men and I'm not sure that was a good idea, we liked to have a good time," said Zeglinski while laughing. "I remember Coach Hooks got the program rolling again. We owe a lot to him. We started bringing in some baseball players and there was a big difference.
"(Beating Clemson in the 1977 ACC finals) was something special. We weren't expected to do it. It was an unbelievable experience. Then with Kenny Baker on the team, for my teammates to pick me as team MVP, that was special. We had a good team, we hit a lot of long balls, we played good defense and we enjoyed it. The guys in the dugout were super. It was a remarkable year. We did a lot of laughing and we had a great atmosphere."
While most recent Wake Forest graduates never saw Zeglinski on the field, nearly all have some degree of awareness of his namesake bar, Ziggy's. Contrary to myth, Zeglinski never owned the bar and music venue. But it was indeed named after him.
"I played through a pulled hamstring my senior year in baseball," said Zeglinski. "I signed with the (Texas) Rangers and tore my other hamstring my first year. I came back to Winston and I needed some hours to graduate. I was a graduate assistant for (football) Coach (John) Mackovic. I was working at the Safari Room. Pat Casey, the owner, asked if he could name a bar around the corner after me, called the White Horse. I was a 21-year old kid, I was kind of embarrassed by it. I said sure. I actually signed a napkin saying I didn't want anything for it. Then I ran Ziggy's the whole next year and I knew that lifestyle wasn't going to get me anywhere. I just ran it for a year, had a great time, met some great people, made some great relationships, not just from sports but the towns people were great. After that, I came home (to Philadelphia) and stayed home and Ziggy's went on. One of my fraternity brothers bought it and they invited me down for the 15th anniversary. But I had no other connection other than that being a trivia question."
Be it on the baseball field, the football field or in the world of entertainment, Ziggy continues to be a legend. And now, a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
**
A limited number of $60 tickets are available for sale to the general public for the Hall of Fame dinner on Friday, February 15. Contact Amy Fleet at fleetac@wfu.edu to reserve a ticket.
Players Mentioned
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