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NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS
ZACH ZENNER • Walter Payton Award, 2012 2013 and 2014 • William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist, 2014 • Mickey Charles Academic Achievement Award, 2014 • Capital One Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, 2014 • Allstate Good Works Team, 2014 • NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award, 2015
Zenner defined excellence — both on the field and in the classroom — during a standout career at South Dakota State. On the gridiron, Zenner 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 set four Missouri Valley Football Conference career records — rushing yards (6,548), all-purpose yards (8,211), rushing touchdowns (61) and total touchdowns (69). He entered the national scene by leading the FCS in total rushing yards with 2,044 yards during the 2012 season. A three-time consensus All-America selection, Zenner finished in the top seven in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award three times. He finished seventh for the FCS Player of the Year in 2012, followed by back-to-back sixth-place finishes in 2013 and 2014. In 13 games during the 2012 season, Zenner crossed the 100-yard mark in nine games and topped 200 yards three times, including a single-game school-record 295 yards in the opening round of the FCS playoffs versus Eastern Illinois. For the season, Zenner averaged 6.8 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns, including a school-record 99-yarder in the 2012 season opener at Kansas. Zenner had a penchant for long runs during his sophomore season as his 13 touchdowns covered a total of 557 yards — an average of 42.8 yards. Six of his touchdowns were more than 50 yards, including a 68-yarder in the playoff victory over Eastern Illinois. In 2013, Zenner topped the century mark in 12 of 14 games, including three more 200-yard performances. He tied his single-game school record with 295 rushing yards in a Sept. 7 road win at North Dakota, and added a 30-carry, 249yard performance that included an 87-yard touchdown in a playoff victory at Northern Arizona. Zenner scored at least one touchdown in 13 of 14 games, finishing with 25 total touchdowns — 23 rushing and two receiving. He duplicated those numbers again during his senior season in 2014, racking up 2,019 rushing yards and scorning 26 total touchdowns — 22 on the ground and four receiving. He finished his Jackrabbit career with 32 100-yard games, including eight 200-yard contests. His final 200-yard game came in a 47-40 victory over Montana State in the opening round of the FCS playoffs, a game in which he scored a career-high five touchdowns. Zenner carried the ball 23 times for 252 yards and four scores, and added two receptions for 72 yards and another touchdown on a snow-covered field. Besides his dominance on the field, Zenner received a number of other accolades for his academic pursuits. A biology/pre-medicine major, Zenner was Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 Career
Rush 107 300 351 337 1,095
* denotes touchdown
154
Yds 470 2,044 2,015 2,019 6,548
Avg 4.4 6.8 5.7 6.0 6.0
TD 3 13 23 22 61
LG 45 *99 *87 *94 *99
Rec 18 28 21 28 95
Zach Zenner was presented with the inaugural Mickey Charles Academic Achievement Award at the Foootball Championship Subdivision Awards Banquet hosted by The Sports Network in Philadelphia in December 2014
named a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy 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 top scholar-athlete in the Football Championship Subdivision 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 Capital One Academic AllAmerica Team. In addition, Zenner became the second Jackrabbit football player in as many seasons to be honored as a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service efforts.His lengthy service résumé included serving as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and working with the State-aThon event to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. Yds 130 197 251 331 909
Avg 7.2 7.0 12.0 11.8 9.6
TD 2 0 2 4 8
ZACH ZENNER’S CAREER STATISTICS
LG *36 31 59 *69 *69
2016 JACKRABBIT FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
KOR 31 0 0 0 31
Yds 754 0 0 0 754
Avg 24.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 24.3
LG 78 0 0 0 78