Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Of the student-athletes fortunate enough to don Coe’s crimson and gold, few match the immediate and lasting impact of Zak Gordon. A four-year varsity letterman and three-time all-
Iowa Conference selection at defensive back for the Kohawk football team, Zak was a second team D3football.com All-American in 1999. Larry Atwater calls Zak one of the best players he has coached in a quarter century at Coe.
“The thing that stands out with Zak, from the moment I put him in as a freshman, it was big play after big play,” Atwater said. “Whenever we needed a big play, he always made it.”
In game four of the 1997 season at Carroll College, the freshman from Dubuque intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown and the winning margin in a 28-21 Kohawk victory. The hard-hitting defender would demonstrate such playmaking abilities for four years until a broken leg ended his senior season prematurely.
Zak’s 18 tackles – including five for a loss – against Loras in 2000 was a school record and now stands fourth all-time. His 13 tackles for a loss that season was a school record for two years. He is tied for seventh in school history with 12 career interceptions. His 224 career tackles is fifth most in school history, while he stands second with 150 solo tackles.
Zak also wrestled for Coe, compiling a 65-35 career record with eight falls. He won a career-best 23 matches at 174-pounds his junior season and was named an academic all-American. Returning to wrestle from the season-ending football injury, he qualified for the 2001 NCAA National Championships during his senior year.
He was named the Barron Bremner Outstanding Athlete in 2000. After graduating, Zak played semi-pro football in Wisconsin for the Madison Mustangs. He is now a field operations specialist for Dealer Services Corporation in Madison.
