South Dakota State University Athletics
2020 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: ZACH ZENNER
11/20/2020 2:00:00 PM | General
Note: This is the final installment of an eight-part series unveiling the 2020 class of the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame.
ZACH ZENNER
Football • Running Back
Lettered 2011-14
Zach Zenner defined excellence — both on the field and in the classroom — during a standout career at South Dakota State University from 2011-14.
On the gridiron, the Eagan, Minnesota, native established himself as one of the top running backs in the history of the Football Championship Subdivision, finishing his career third on the FCS rushing charts with 6,548 yards. He became the first player in Division I football history to rush for 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, gaining 2,044 yards in 2012, 2,015 yards in 2013 and 2,019 yards in 2014. He was an All-America selection and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS ranks each of the three seasons.
Zenner also set four Missouri Valley Football Conference career records: rushing yards (6,548), all-purpose yards (8,211), rushing touchdowns (61) and total touchdowns (69). His 69 total touchdowns tied the SDSU career mark and twice he ran for a Jackrabbit single-game record of 295 yards — in a 2012 playoff game against Eastern Illinois and at North Dakota in 2013.
Long touchdowns were a staple of Zenner's career as he scored on runs of 50-plus yards 14 times, including a school-record 99-yard rush at Kansas in the 2012 season opener. He topped the 100-yard mark in 32 career games and crossed the 200-yard mark eight times, including one in a playoff game in each season from 2012-14.
Besides his dominance on the field, Zenner received a number of other accolades for his academic pursuits. A biology/pre-medicine major, Zenner was named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2014 and was awarded postgraduate scholarships by the National Football Foundation, NCAA and FCS Athletic Directors Association. He also was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Mickey Charles Academic Achievement Award as the FCS's top scholar-athlete and became the first Jackrabbit student-athlete in any sport to be honored as the Capital One Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. He was a three-time selection to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America Team and also was chosen as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service efforts.
Zenner was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game following the 2014 season and later signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He played for the Lions from 2015-18 before spending portions of the 2019 season with the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins.
-GoJacks.com-
ZACH ZENNER
Football • Running Back
Lettered 2011-14
Zach Zenner defined excellence — both on the field and in the classroom — during a standout career at South Dakota State University from 2011-14.
On the gridiron, the Eagan, Minnesota, native established himself as one of the top running backs in the history of the Football Championship Subdivision, finishing his career third on the FCS rushing charts with 6,548 yards. He became the first player in Division I football history to rush for 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, gaining 2,044 yards in 2012, 2,015 yards in 2013 and 2,019 yards in 2014. He was an All-America selection and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS ranks each of the three seasons.
Zenner also set four Missouri Valley Football Conference career records: rushing yards (6,548), all-purpose yards (8,211), rushing touchdowns (61) and total touchdowns (69). His 69 total touchdowns tied the SDSU career mark and twice he ran for a Jackrabbit single-game record of 295 yards — in a 2012 playoff game against Eastern Illinois and at North Dakota in 2013.
Long touchdowns were a staple of Zenner's career as he scored on runs of 50-plus yards 14 times, including a school-record 99-yard rush at Kansas in the 2012 season opener. He topped the 100-yard mark in 32 career games and crossed the 200-yard mark eight times, including one in a playoff game in each season from 2012-14.
Besides his dominance on the field, Zenner received a number of other accolades for his academic pursuits. A biology/pre-medicine major, Zenner was named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2014 and was awarded postgraduate scholarships by the National Football Foundation, NCAA and FCS Athletic Directors Association. He also was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Mickey Charles Academic Achievement Award as the FCS's top scholar-athlete and became the first Jackrabbit student-athlete in any sport to be honored as the Capital One Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. He was a three-time selection to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America Team and also was chosen as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service efforts.
Zenner was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game following the 2014 season and later signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He played for the Lions from 2015-18 before spending portions of the 2019 season with the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins.
-GoJacks.com-
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